Break The Chains That Bind Us
by Thymine
Summary: [Sequel to Stare Into The Abyss] For Sora and his “other half” there was still a job to do. The search for the door Sora is destined to open won’t be an easy one, and perhaps some would rather he not find it at all…
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **Characters, locations, etc, are property of Square and/or Disney. I own nothing.

**Summary: **(Sequel to Stare Into The Abyss) For Sora and his "other half" there was still a job to do. The search for the door Sora is destined to open won't be an easy one, and perhaps some would rather he not find it at all…

**Rating: **T

**A Note Before We Start: **Well, here we go again! Welcome back to all my old readers, and should anyone have clicked on this out of curiosity, I'd recommend reading SITA first – I will be referring to past events throughout, so I wouldn't want you to get confused. A small request I'd like to make – since this will likely not be finished by the time that KHII is released in Japan, please, if anyone is lucky enough to get it then, **NO SPOILERS!** I'd like to avoid knowing anything about it.

With that out the way, time to get started!

* * *

**Break The Chains That Bind Us**

** Chapter One**

_He opened his eyes to a world of darkness. Tall buildings towered around him, covered in glowing signs. Flickering shadows danced on all sides. Slowly sitting up, he glanced around, confused. He was in an empty street, apparently totally alone. The silence in what appeared to be quite a large city was un-nerving. _

_Even more un-nerving was that he had no idea where he was or why he was there. He closed his eyes, trying to remember something, **anything** that would remind him. _

_An onslaught of images hit him. _

_A silver-haired boy standing with his hand outstretched…_

**_"But don't be afraid…"_**

…_A girl smiling as she bent down, hands folded behind her back…_

"… _**And don't forget…"**_

… _Black creatures with flashing orange eyes…_

"_**The Keyblade chooses its master…**_

_So many different landscapes…_

"…_**And it chose you."**_

…_But one that stood out the most._

**_"Sora, let's take the raft and go…"_**

_A small island._

"_**The door has opened, Sora!"**_

_And then another location, different to the others… _

"_**A Keyblade that unlocks people's hearts..."**_

…_A castle._

_**"Sora?"**_

"_**Sora!"**_

_He blinked his eyes open, the fierce torrent of visions ending as quickly as they had come. _

_What **was** all of that? _

_Shaking his head in attempt to clear it, he carefully stood. "Sora…" He tried the name out loud, testing to see if it meant anything to him. It felt familiar, but otherwise didn't help any. Was he… Sora? Or was he supposed to know them?_

_He began walking aimlessly, his eyes scanning for any signs of other people. Surely someone was around? Maybe someone that could explain just what was going on._

_To his dismay, all of the doors that he tried on the surrounding buildings appeared locked. As he moved through the streets, he felt a growing sinking feeling as he realized that there really was no one else. Where had all the people gone?_

_Stopping, he called out in a desperate attempt to find **someon**e._

_"Hello?"_

_Nothing but silence._

_As he was about to continue, he hesitated, catching a flash of movement to his side. Whirling around, he spotted the silhouette of a figure passing by and turning down one of the alleys._

"_Hey, wait!"_

_The boy started to run after them, but was driven to his knees by a bitter chill that stung his chest. Reaching a hand up to press against it, he felt himself shiver. It was only now it was gone that he noticed a warmth was missing. It felt like he had lost something, like something had been **removed**. What had happened to him? Why was there such a horrible empty feeling there?_

_Climbing back to his feet, his eyes scearched for the figure he had saw. Whoever they were, they'd gone now. Heading for the alley that they had disappeared down, he was surprised when he hit a dead end at the back of it. His mystery person was nowhere in sight; the only thing there was a shimmering oval shape set into the side of one of the buildings. Had the person gone through it? There was no other way they could have gone._

_Was it a good idea to go stepping into strange objects, like that?_

_But there was obviously no one else **here**. What was the point of staying? And if that person had gone through… Maybe he could find them and get some answers._

_Taking a deep breath, the blonde haired boy entered the doorway between worlds._

_

* * *

_

Kaze walked through the halls of Hollow Bastion, heading for his destination. During the past few months he'd spent there, he'd quickly learned to find his way around. According to Sora, the place had changed since his last visit, its current residents having worked hard on trying to restore it to something resembling their childhood home.

Since his and Sora's arrival, they'd had to begin further work in an attempt to make room for them. For such a large castle, there wasn't much living space. Still, Kaze was grateful that they had allowed them to stay there. Leon and the others had been more than willing to let him and Sora make Hallow Bastion their temporary home for as long as they needed.

While for Sora it had been a reunion with his old friends upon returning, it had taken Kaze a while to get to know everyone. When him and Sora weren't off venturing to other worlds, he'd spent the time helping them with some of the work on the castle, although it wasn't often that he got the chance. He'd lost count of the amount of worlds that him and Sora had explored now, and they still hadn't found what they looking for.

Sora had found his two companions, Donald and Goofy, waiting for him at the castle. Upon instruction from their King, they'd stayed to help Sora find the 'Door to the Light' that he was supposed to open. It was Riku who selected the worlds for them to search. Kaze wasn't quite sure just what they were supposed to be opening it for, but he'd tagged along regardless.

Despite Riku's assurance that he believed he knew where they could find it, they'd so far came across nothing. They'd successfully sealed several further Keyholes in the worlds they'd visited, but there wasn't so much as a clue to the Door's location. Everytime they'd returned from another world, Riku would begin muttering to himself all the way back. Or perhaps, it wasn't himself that he was muttering to…

Kaze had made attempts to catch Riku alone and strike up a conversation with him. He _wanted_ to trust Sora's childhood friend, but there was still something deeply disturbing about the boy. His attention would seemingly wander quickly, and he hardly ever shared more than a few words before moving away. Kaze had a feeling that he knew why that was.

Ansem. He was still ever present, perhaps even growing stronger with every day. If he was the source of Riku's information that he was providing them with, it was no wonder that it hadn't proved very reliable.

With several of it's current 'inhabitants' away, the castle felt even quieter than it usually did. Sora and Riku, along with Donald and Goofy, had been gone for nearly three days now. They'd left to go check up on another world, however this time Kaze had stayed behind. For just this once, he had his own mission that he'd set himself.

_Namine…_

Kaze felt somewhat sorry for the girl. While they had offered to take her with them to some of the other worlds that they had visited, she'd always stayed behind, insisting that she didn't want to get in their way. She spent most of her time in the Hollow Bastion library surrounded by paper and pencils where she absorbed herself in drawing.

Kaze had offered to take her with him to one of the previous worlds that they'd already been to while Sora was gone, assuring her that it was safe and she didn't need to worry about "getting in their way." He was relieved that she had agreed to his offer. Been cooped up in this castle all this time was no better than when she'd been stuck at Castle Oblivion.

Certain that Namine would already be waiting for him in the library, he was surprised when he arrived in the room only to find it empty. Perhaps he was just early and she was off in another part of the castle?

Wandering over to the table at the far end of the room, Kaze picked up one of the many pieces of paper that was scattered over the surface of it. The drawing was a detailed sketch of the Hollow Bastion castle. Beneath it was another castle that he recognized. Castle Oblivion. Even away from the place, she still couldn't seem to forget about it.

The door behind him burst open, startling him. "Hey Namine!" He turned around to greet her. "Are you ready to… Namine?"

The girl's face was flustered, her eyes wide, filled with panic. "Kaze!"

"What's wrong?"

She lifted her blue eyes to meet his gaze. "Hollow Bastion, is under attack."

"What?" Kaze felt confusion and alarm flood through him. "By who?"

"Nobodies." She tried to keep her voice calm, but the fear was unmistakable. "There are hundreds of Nobodies out there and they're all coming this way."

Namine's reply sent a cold chill through him. "But, there's no one left in the Organization! There's no one left who could have sent them."

"Maybe they weren't sent…"

Kaze didn't respond. He felt the Twilight Keyblade forming in his hand as he started for the door. It wasn't a coincidence that they were here. Someone knew this was where him and Sora had come. They'd been sent. But by who?

His mind was left reeling as he considered the possibilities.

"Where are you going?"

He stopped, turning around slowly to face her. "To find Sora."

"We don't even know he's out there!" Namine shook her head firmly. "They could all still be at that world, safe."

"Then, I'll go and wait for him. When he comes back, he's going to end up walking right into all that."

Her eyes grew sad as she realized she wasn't going to be able to convince him to stay. "You can't go out there on your own."

"Where are the others?"

"In the Chapel," She replied. "They sent me to come get you."

"Go and stay with them." He paused as he opened the door. "I'll come back, and I'll bring Sora with me. I promise."

Namine's voice was flat as she responded. "You always say that. _Both_ of you. What if one day, you don't come back?"

Kaze exited the room through the door without a word.

He didn't have an answer to give her.

* * *

**Note's: **Phew, there we go! First chapter finally up. Updates may not come as quickly as SITA's did, however in exchange, chapters should be a bit longer from here on. 

To avoid any confusion – the first section is intended to be one of several "Kaze flashbacks" that I have in mind. I plan on going into a little more detail of what he was up to before meeting Sora seeing as this story will be focused on the both of them. As a small clue, the title has been picked for a reason again – it was actually a quote from Xenosaga (a chaos quote, I think), but it seems to fit Sora and our dear BHK nicely.

That's all for now!

Next chapter should see Sora entering the story and perhaps another familiar face too…


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **Characters/Locations are property of Square and/or Disney. I own nothing.

**Break The Chains That Bind Us **

** Chapter Two**

_The small town he arrived in was quite the opposite of the city he'd left behind. The streets were bathed in a warm light and while quiet there were people around. His relief at seeing them pass by the streets was replaced by frustration. How was he supposed to ask them anything? Walk up and see if they knew why he'd found himself in the middle of an empty city with no idea why he was there? Ask them if people usually arrived here by walking through strange objects? They'd think he was crazy._

_He continued along debating on what to do, accompanied by those same images from earlier. _

"_**A Keyblade that unlocks people's hearts…"**_

"_**Sora!"**_

_Why couldn't he remember who this 'Sora' was? And why did it feel like this 'Keyblade' was supposed to be important?_

"_Hey!"_

_He looked up, distracted from his thoughts. A young brown haired girl stood in front of him, her head titled to the side as she gave him a quizzical look. "You should be more careful and watch where you're going!"_

"_Sorry…" _

_Her tone quickly changed to a more sympathetic one. "Are you lost?"_

"_I guess I am." _

"_Well, where are you trying to get to?"_

_Where **was** he trying to get to? "I'm not sure."_

"_You're not..." She trailed off, blinking up, her eyes wandering to something behind him. "Uh-oh. You better follow me!" He didn't move, confused, but the girl grabbed his arm, dragging him into a side alley. Crouching, she pulled him to the ground alongside her. _

_What was she so afraid of? "What are you doing?"_

"_Ssh!"_

_Glancing back up he saw the source of her panic. A trio of figures in black cloaks passed by the alley. His gaze fixed on them intently, watching. One paused, level with their hiding spot and turned. The boy froze, feeling his breath catch in his throat…_

… _And then the figure continued to move._

"_Who are they?" He whispered to the girl._

_She folded her arms giving him a stern look. "You're not from here, are you? They're members of the Organization. You don't want to be around when they're looking for new test subjects!"_

"_Test subjects?"_

_She moved forward to lean around the corner of the alley and waved, signalling him to follow. She began setting off in the opposite direction the cloaked people had gone, but he paused before heading the other way. Realizing he wasn't behind her, the girl spun around, alarmed, "Where are you going?"_

"_I'm following them. If I can speak to them, they might be able to tell me something."_

"_Speak to them? Are you crazy? You can't do that!"_

_He slowed and faced her. "Why not?"_

"_They'll take you and you won't ever come back! I told you, that's what they do."_

"_It can't hurt to try." He began walking away again, determined to catch up to those people. He was startled to hear the sound of footsteps behind him as the girl ran after him._

"_If we get caught, it'll be all your fault you know!"_

_He laughed half-heartedly. "Don't worry, I won't get us caught."_

_They rounded a corner, arriving at something that resembled a station; pillars lined the area supporting a roof overhead. His cloaked targets were gathered alongside a track, waiting._

"_You're not thinking of sneaking on the train with them, are you?" the girl asked from his side._

_A train? So that's what the station was for. He shook his head. "Wait here, I'm going to get a little closer."_

"_You're insane!"_

"_I want to hear what they're saying." Not offering her a further reply he ducked down low and crept forward, leaning against one of the pillars that was located closer to them. _

"…_And who cares anyway? We know he's here, job done. Let's head back."_

_Yes, this position was better. He could hear what they were saying clearly. But he was awfully close, if he made the slightest noise and they heard him… _

"_The Superior cares. His orders were clear. We're to observe him, but not interfere. He believes it will be a while before he Awakens."_

"_If he does at all," The first voice countered. "He's not going anywhere. I don't know about you, but I'd rather see what Sora is doing than stand around here all day. I can't believe they sent us out when things were just getting interesting..."_

_Sora? The boy bit his tongue to hold back his shock._

"_He's probably sealed the Hollow Bastion Keyhole by now," A new, female voice joined in. "This other boy, while interesting, isn't of any use yet. I agree that we should leave."_

"_See?"_

"_You do not have authority here, Number Eight…"_

"_You know I prefer not been called that."_

"_You're only been awkward because you don't like the fact that he outranks you."_

_The boy pulled away, cautiously retreating to join his companion. He'd heard enough, and there was no way he was going to approach those people. He had no doubts that the person they were discussing 'observing' was him. _

_He rejoined the girl and sank down against the wall giving a defeated sigh. Awakening and Keyholes… he didn't understand any of it. And more importantly, they knew who this 'Sora' was. From what they'd said, it didn't sound like it was **him**, so just who was he?_

"_Did you find out what you wanted?"_

_If anything, things were even more confusing now. "…No."_

"_We should leave." She fixed her gaze on him, her expression pleading._

_He nodded and reluctantly followed her away. It was only when they were a safe distance from the station that the girl spoke again. "You said you were lost… Do you have anywhere to go?"_

_The question took him by surprise. Where could he go? It was dangerous staying here if those cloaked people were interested in him, but it **was **the only place where he could maybe get his answers. "No. I don't have anywhere."_

"_I can find you somewhere to say!" The girl offered, trying to sound cheerful. "There are lots of people here who have nowhere left. Ever since the Organization took away their families…"_

_He understood, she didn't need to say anymore. "Thank you."_

"_So, what's your name?"_

"…_What?"_

"_You **do** have a name, don't you?"_

_He opened his mouth to reply with 'Sora', but hesitated. He wasn't this Sora, it didn't feel right calling himself that, but it was the only thing that came to mind. So, what other name could he give her?_

_After a moments consideration he answered. "Kaze." He nodded, satisfied. " My name is Kaze."_

* * *

Sora sank back into the chair as the train drew closer to Hollow Bastion, wondering if this visit had been a success or not. They'd encountered no problems upon arriving at the world; it had seemed a more or less empty one judging from the small area of it they had explored. It even appeared free of Heartless. 

And tucked away in a far corner of a cave, buried behind a waterfall, they _had_ found a door thanks to Riku's directions. Sora's joy at finally having come across what they were looking for didn't last long.

His first problem was with the door itself – no matter what he'd tried, there didn't appear to be anything he could do with it, or at least, not alone. The door didn't have just one Keyhole, but two, one on each side. It hadn't taken him long to realize he'd need Kaze's help. Two Keyholes could only mean two Keyblade Masters were required.

The second problem had lay with Riku. His friend hadn't appeared very happy at their find, breaking off into confused ramblings to himself. It was as Sora had decided that they should head back to Hollow Bastion to get Kaze before returning, that Riku had finally spoken out loud.

_It's the wrong one, that's what he said…_

How could it be the wrong one? How could it _not_ be the one that they were looking for?

It was only now, on the journey back, that Sora realized the possible meaning behind those words, as his mind drifted back to one of Ansem's earlier reports.

_The present world.  
The world of darkness.  
The world of light.  
And, the world in-between._

Four worlds… four doors? If he was right, things were a _lot_ more complicated than he'd expected.

He leant forward again, meaning to question Riku on it, but the other boy was already on his feet, moving to the door of the vehicle.

"Riku?"

"Something isn't right. There's too many of them, I can't tell the difference between each individual…"

Sora stood up to join him. "Who? Too many of what?"

Any response Riku may have supplied was cut short as the train jerked violently, throwing Sora off balance. The lights overheard flickered wildly as emergency shutters slid down each of the windows, plunging the carriage into darkness.

Blindly grabbing for a hold of something to support himself, Sora felt one last shudder rock the vehicle before everything fell still. As he felt his way along the side, trying to locate the door, he called out to his friends. "Is everyone alright?"

Receiving a chorus of affirmations, he came to a halt alongside what he hoped was the door. Taking a hold of it, he pulled, trying to force it open. It gave way with ease. Before he had the chance to look outside, something flew through, hitting him in the chest and knocking him to the ground. There was a startled cry from Donald, as the mage made an attempt to get rid of whatever it was.

The Keyblade had already taken form in Sora's hand, as he began scrambling to his feet. A blur of white bounced off the back wall and lunged towards him once more. Swinging the weapon, he caught it in mid-flight, the creature dispersing as it connected with it.

He recognized what it had it been. A Dusk, a _Nobody_. What was one of them doing on the outskirts of Hollow Bastion?

"You might want to take a look outside, Sora."

Following Riku's suggestion, he moved to the door. The sight of what lay beyond them made his blood run cold.

A seething mass of white and silver bodies waited in the distance. Seeing such a large amount of Nobodies gathered in one place wasn't a good sign, but seeing them _there_, so close to the castle that he had been living at recently was worse.

"You shouldn't stay." Riku regarded him carefully. "They were sent here for you."

Sora looked away. "How do you know that?"

"Because he said they were, and I think he's right."

He didn't need to ask who 'he' was. "I'm not leaving." How could he leave when his friends were still there, at the castle? If they _were_ there for him, what if they tried to tear Hollow Bastion apart just to find him?

"You're going to try and reach the castle?" A light smirk crossed Riku's face. "How are you going to do that?"

Sora held the Keyblade in front of him. "I'm going to go straight through the middle of them."

Their own weapons in hand, Donald and Goofy joined him. Sora smiled gratefully, he didn't even need to ask them for their help. At least three would be better than one.

"You can stay here, if that's what you want to do Riku. I'm not asking you to come with me…"

As he stepped out of the train, Riku walked past him. He didn't slow, instead heading straight for the writhing sea of the creatures.

_Well, four is better still…_

Sora started to hurry after him, but froze as his gaze fell on the Nobodies ahead. They were moving. The entire tide of them was moving as one, turning in their direction, and as Sora watched, the wave of them rolled down the sides of the valley, surging towards them.

* * *

His mind searched for something _different_, something _new_. Any minor detail he might have missed that he could examine until there was nothing left to look over. 

Axel found nothing.

How many times now, had he seen everything repeated? Over and over again, a never-ending cycle of memories that were probably best forgotten. How long had he been there? Just days? Weeks? Or had it been months already? _Years_ even…

The cycle started once more. Axel tried to divert his attention by focusing on something else, but his efforts were for nothing. He knew that. There was nothing else here to _focus_ on, nothing to do but _watch_.

At first, he'd taken the time to compile a list of those who were responsible for the mess he'd ended up in. 'Number Two' had certainly earned his place at the top, but it hadn't taken him long to add Sora's name to it. This _was_ Sora's fault after all, even if he was the one that had asked him to do it, if it wasn't for Sora, he wouldn't be here. Still, his entertainment in developing his list had quickly been killed when he'd realized it wouldn't really amount to anything.

With nothing left to do, he'd made several attempts to 'reach' into the void around him. Those results hadn't been very encouraging either. There wasn't anything else there. Nothing but him and his little shell of recycled memories.

How long would it take, for him to totally break? How much of the same stuff could someone's mind take, before it shattered from it all?

Eventually, there didn't seem much to do other than to shut his mind down completely. Stop thinking and stop watching. So when the sound of a faded, distant voice echoed through the abyss, it took a while to register.

"_Is this what you wanted? Are you enjoying yourself, Axel?"_

Familiar somehow, but difficult for him to recognize.

"_Which part is your favourite?"_

Or maybe he'd already lost it. Maybe he was just talking to himself.

"_I personally think the one where you killed that poor innocent civilian, for the sake of revenge was amusing…"_

No, that wasn't him.

"_Or maybe you prefer the one where your home world falls to the Darkness, as the people around you that you once knew die, or are taken by the Heartless…"_

Definitely not him.

"…_Heartless that you killed without a second thought."_

Whoever, or whatever it was, Axel was at least thankful. They were enough to bring him back from the edge of insanity.

"_I'm surprised that you lasted this long."_

He hoped that they wouldn't stop. It was something else to focus on.

"_It would be so easy…"_

It was something different.

"…_To just leave you like this."_

It was something new.

"_Now, what shall I do with you?"_

* * *

Kaze gripped the Keyblade tightly as he stared numbly at the army before him. 

_That's what it is, an **army**._

How could he possibly do anything against that? But that didn't matter right now, he wasn't here to stop them. He just needed to get to Sora, and to do that he'd have to go through them. The train would arrive on the far end of the valley. If he could get there before Sora arrived back…

Stepping straight into the mass of creatures, he began slashing wildly as he tried to pass through them. Some of those to his sides responded, coiling their limbs and springing at him, but it was only as he had made some progress that he realized he was mostly been ignored. The majority of them that surrounded him seemed passive, hunched over as though waiting for something, paying him no attention.

_Waiting for orders…_

And the only ones who could control them, were those in the Organization. His fears confirmed Kaze began hacking through those in his way with a renewed effort. He needed to find Sora quickly. If someone had _ordered_ them here then they weren't all gone like he had thought, and that wasn't good.

His attention snapped back to his current problem as the Nobodies around him whirled around. It wasn't hard to tell that they were preparing to attack. Stopping, Kaze braced himself, holding the Keyblade at the ready to defend against them.

White shapes blotted out the sky as a landslide of them rolled over his head. He dropped to the floor, feeling their legs and hands brush against him as they passed by. Using the Keyblade to shield his head, he flattened himself to the ground, hoping he wouldn't be crushed by the sheer amount of them. His only relief came from the knowledge that they weren't attacking him.

They weren't interested in him. They had other orders to follow.

* * *

**Note's: **Well, that wasn't supposed to be finished that fast. How nice of the new trailer to include so much footage of that "war" scene, although what I have in mind is much more based off the _really_ old footage. Is it just me, or have they altered a lot of the scenes now? 

Ahem, anyway…

**AloneInDespair: **There should be a little "BHK instalment" (hehe) at the start of each chapter. For now, anyway. I have a few planned, but I might run out if this ends up growing anywhere near the size SITA did!

**Ginger Ninja: **Ooh, flashbacks sure are fun! Especially those involving our favourite blonde!  
I love the way those little things move – they're so slinky!

**Saddened Soul:** I've lost count of the amount of members now, it's like _everyone_ is walking around dressed as one of them! And if you're thinking what I'm thinking, you're on the right track. ;) But… I'm not sure what you're thinking! There's something that's there for a story related purpose, however, that purpose probably won't be revealed for a while yet. If that helps anyway!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **Characters/Locations are property of Square and/or Disney. I own nothing.

**Break The Chains That Bind Us **

** Chapter Three**

_The dreams had started the first night he had stayed at that town. Twilight Town, that's what he'd been told it was called. Curled in a corner of a small room that he'd been lead to, Kaze finally managed to drift into an uneasy sleep. The images from earlier were so much clearer in his dreams, and they didn't stop. Every night, every time he slept they were there. It didn't take long for him to put names to the faces he saw in them._

_Sometimes, the dreams shifted to less peaceful ones. He could feel himself falling, but there was nothing there but darkness. All he knew was that he was afraid of something, of **losing** something. That particular dream always left him waking up, crying out for the girl named Kairi. A girl that he'd never met and never knew but was afraid of losing anyway. _

_It was hard to try and shake those memories off in the days, to try and act like he belonged. It hadn't taken long for his small group of friends to notice there was something different about him. There were only so many times that he could answer their questions with "I can't remember" or "I don't know." When they'd asked him who this 'Kairi' was, he'd turned his eyes towards them sadly and replied that he didn't know, that he'd never met her. They hadn't asked him anything else since then, instead trying to keep him occupied in the days to distract his mind from whatever it may be that bothered him during the nights. He appreciated their attempts, but even during the days he couldn't relax._

_Though the Organization members hadn't directly done anything to threaten him yet, he couldn't ever shake the feeling of someone watching him whenever he was out around the town. And it wasn't just the feeling of eyes following him down the streets. Sometimes he'd see them, crouched on top of one of the buildings as he passed by. For now, their 'observing' was harmless enough, but what if they decided to change that and attack while he was with his friends? He'd held back the urge to scream at them to go away and leave him alone, but if they wanted a reaction from him, he wouldn't give them one. _

_He'd eventually taken to living inside the large Clock Tower; the place had quickly become his favourite. The roof was the one place where he found himself spending a lot of his time. From there, **he** was the one doing the watching. The Organization couldn't reach him there. It was the only area in the whole town, the only **time**, when he could feel free of them._

_He had gained some small relief from seeing several of the members leaving the town shortly after his own arrival. From the information on them Kaze had managed to gather from his friends, the members appeared to stay somewhere on the edge of the town, and usually they would travel in groups of two or three. When he was out on his own, he'd been surprised to round a corner and nearly walk into four of them. They'd passed by without even paying him any attention. _

_Almost like they had somewhere else to be. _

_It had only taken a moment's consideration before he'd followed them. They'd lead him straight back to the Station. Two more members were waiting there, along with a girl. He hadn't dared get too close to so many of them, but from his hiding spot, Kaze could make out the blonde head as she had kept it bowed. Her white clothes had stood out against the black of the cloaked figures around her. One of them had kept a tight grip on her arm as the others gathered around. _

_Six of them. Whatever they were doing, it was something big. _

_When the train had pulled up and all of them had boarded it, dragging the girl with them, Kaze had been glad to see it head in the opposite direction than it normally did. Wherever they were taking that girl, it wasn't back to the place they usually returned to, and that meant that the town would be free of several of its members. That **he'd** be free of them. _

_Their activity **had** eased up as the months had passed. There was still that feeling of being watched, but not as often. Even the dreams had seemed to gradually ease up._

_It had been almost a year since he had first come to arrive in Twilight Town, but now he felt like he could finally relax more. He still hadn't gotten any of the answers he may have wanted, but things seemed to be going better for him._

_The peace hadn't lasted. His sleep had been shattered once more, only this time by a voice, a** female **voice that called out to him. This one was new, not one he recognized from the other images that had haunted him. _

"… _Please…"_

_It had sounded desperate somehow._

"… _Please, come… He's here…"_

_It kept returning, every night. Repeating the same message to him._

"… _He's here… You must come…"_

_Only after several days did it mention the one name that grabbed his attention._

"_He's here… Sora is here."_

_He knew what he had to do. Wherever 'here' was, it wasn't in Twilight Town. Kaze didn't take long to decide that it was time to leave. It was harder to do than he had expected. The place **had** become his home. But, he could always come back, couldn't he? _

_Depending on what he found…_

_As he waited at the station in the middle of that same night the voice had called out with Sora's name, he regretted not telling his friends that he was leaving. He regretted not thanking them. They wouldn't understand though. They wouldn't understand why he had to leave. He hoped that he could return to them and explain._

_With no idea where it would take him, Kaze took a seat and tried to ease his nerves. What if he didn't even find Sora? But even more importantly, what if he **did **find him? He had so much to ask him, where was he supposed to even start?_

_The train eventually came to a halt in a place that Kaze was sure wasn't a station. He hesitated, taking a look outside through the window before moving. It was hard to see through the dark, but there didn't seem to be anything out there apart from endless grassy fields. He wasn't sure just what he'd been expecting to arrive at, but it wasn't a field. _

"_What a place to finally meet him…" _

_The sound of his own voice calmed him. Standing, he moved to one of the doors in the carriage and stepped off the train. There was nothing but a single dirt path between two patches of grass ahead of him. _

_Wasn't this a little strange for a train stop? Then again, he was the one following the advice of a voice in his head that had told him to come 'here'. Not to mention, the one waking up in empty worlds and crossing over into others… _

…_Maybe it **wasn't** so strange._

_Following the path for a short time lead him to a crossroads. _

_Wonderful…_

_What way was he supposed to go now? Taking a moment to pick one, he settled on heading straight. Seemingly not arriving anywhere, he debated on turning around and taking one of the other directions, but the sight of the large castle coming into view ahead assured him that he'd picked the correct one._

_Seeing it, Kaze **knew** that he was in the right place. He raised a hand to his chest and pressed it against his heart, feeling an odd stir that made him uncomfortable. Despite the feeling, he wasn't about to turn around and just leave now. _

_Walking up to the front of the building, he stood outside the doors, pausing briefly before finally carefully opening one and slipping inside. _

_His eyes took in the solid white walls and tiled floors before finally falling on the blonde girl standing in the centre of the hallway. _

_The blonde girl in the white dress that was oddly familiar._

_She appeared startled for a brief second upon seeing him, before bursting into a bright smile. "You're finally here. I've been waiting for you to come. Kaze, isn't it?" _

_He stared blankly in reply._

"_Welcome to Castle Oblivion."_

_

* * *

_

As the wave of Nobodies rained down around him, they began flowing around each of his sides. Sora lost sight of the others as the creatures encircled him. They were effective, managing to single him out, splitting him away from his friends. Alone, he wouldn't be able to last very long against so many attacks. The Keyblade met bladed arms and clawed hands as they lashed out at him from all angles. He twisted, trying to spin around to block each attack, whilst dodging those he couldn't.

He couldn't stay there, he needed to _move_, but with so many surrounding him, where could he go?

As he tried to focus on defending himself, Sora searched for an opening. Waiting until one of the larger Nobodies lunged at him he took his chance. Instead of blocking, he ran, ducking under it and slipping past. He didn't get far.

As one fluid movement, the creatures moved to position themselves in front of him before spreading out, forming a ring around him once more.

Tightening his hold on the Keyblade, Sora considered his options. They weren't going to stop coming for him, until they were all gone, or until they killed him if that was what they were there for. There were too many for him to get rid of, and they certainly weren't going to just give up and leave him alone.

His weapon met silver flesh as he knocked another of the leaping creatures away. Stepping aside to avoid a blow from a sharp limb that swung towards him, Sora felt something connect with him from behind. Stumbling, he tried to turn to dispose of it, but was stopped as more of the smaller Dusks swarmed towards him from either side.

"Sora!"

The creatures were cut down before they could reach him. Sora recognized the weapon that had struck them.

"Riku?"

His friend moved to stand alongside him, taking care of the Nobodies to the rear, giving Sora a moment to breathe and focus more on those in front. "Aren't Donald and Goofy with you?"

"Nope. Not seen them."

"Then can't you find them? You can pick up their, eh…"

"Auras." Riku supplied. "I can't do that. They're all just one big blur. There's too many of them here."

_So, that's what he meant before when he said that._

"What happened to going through the middle of them?"

Sora couldn't miss the slight sound of amusement in Riku's voice. At least _someone _was having fun. "This isn't working. Can't you do something?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know!" The Keyblade brought down another of the Nobodies as it sprang forward. "_Something_."

"Ansem did pick up some nice tricks from his other half. I suppose if he was the one in control…"

"No." Sora whirled around to face him. "Not that kind of something."

Riku parried an attack with the Soul Eater before replying. "Relax, Sora. I wasn't suggesting it, just pointing it out."

Sora sidestepped as a Dusk charged him. The Keyblade connected with it before it could recover in time for a second attempt. Another bladed arm swiped at him, almost cleaving his shoulder. Plunging the weapon deep into it, he left himself vulnerable for the split second it took to retrieve it. Something caught his arm, causing him to yelp in pain. He pulled back, ignoring his injury for now. If it wasn't anything too serious he could worry about it later.

Why had they just come, after all this time? Why hadn't they attacked him before? He'd been at Hollow Bastion for the past few months, why were they only here now?

_Because you found something…_

"Riku!"

"…What?"

Sora shot his friend a quick glance. "That door we found. You said it was the wrong one." He paused. This really wasn't the time for it, was it? "In one of Ansem's reports, he said something about four worlds…"

"Light, Dark, In-between, and Present." He reeled them off like a mantra.

Sora suppressed a shudder. He had the feeling that wasn't entirely Riku's doing. "Kingdom Hearts was dark, right? And I'm supposed to be looking for the door to the light. So what about the other two?" He didn't receive a response. Taking a moment to dodge an attack and follow up with one of his own, he continued. "I think the one we found was present. In-between has got to be somewhere in Twilight Town, or that other place…"

This time Riku answered him. "Well, he's laughing. I take that to mean you're on the right track."

"That's why they're here, aren't they? Someone doesn't want me to find anymore of them."

There was a short pause. "How are you supposed to know which you're meant to open, and which you're meant to seal?"

_Oh, great…_

He hadn't even considered that. Not only did he have to find them all, he'd have to find out what he was supposed to do with each of them too. But right now, there was a slightly more important problem…

Sora jerked aside, narrowly avoiding been skewered as a clawed hand was thrust towards him.

"Hey, Sora! Over here."

He turned to see Riku had made a small opening. Relief flooded him as he spotted both Donald and Goofy had managed to push through and join him there. He started to move towards them, but stopped, as he noticed they weren't paying very much attention to the current situation anymore. He followed their gaze to the edge of the valley. His eyes picked up the long trail of a dusty cloud streaming down the side of it, starting at the top higher up, and running down to where they were. It took him a few seconds to pick out the figure sliding down it.

"Is that who I think it is?"

"… Kaze?"

* * *

The place that Axel found himself was much different to what he'd grown use to. An empty room, nothing but blank walls with a single window and door, but it was something. He wasn't watching, he was _there,_ and even better, nothing seemed to be missing either. He still could remember both sets of memories, from before and from after becoming a NEO. 

How didn't matter, not right now. Leaving was more important. The door appeared locked from the opposite side. Hardly a problem, there were plenty of ways to deal with that. The sight from the window however, made things much worse.

There was darkness everywhere outside. Tall buildings, covered in flickering signs, stood opposite. There was only one place _that _could be. As a test, Axel attempted to summon his weapons.

"_That won't work… but you already know that."_

It wasn't hard to mistake_ that_ voice now.

"_This world was tainted by the darkness. When a NEO arrived here, the process wasn't entirely complete like it should have been. Not until they crossed over. That's why it won't work here_. _That's why I brought you here_."

The one who was responsible for _everything_. The same one who'd tried to kill him.

"_Don't you even want to know why you're here?_"

"I'd rather you stopped hiding."

"_I have a job for you._"

A job? Whatever kind of 'job' he was about to offer, he wasn't interested. "You think I'd actually do something to help you?"

"_I suppose if you don't want to, you can always go back to that lovely void. This time, knowing what to expect, I'm sure you won't last very long. The body is just a vessel for the soul, there's always a connection between the two. Breaking it again would be so very easy…"_

Axel paused. This was the same person that had wanted him dead, the last thing he'd like to do was agree to do anything for him. But to go back there? No, he wasn't about to go to that place, not now he was free of it. "Fine."

"_I thought you might agree._"

Of course, agreeing wasn't all that bad, was it?

"_You don't need Sora for anything now, so what I have in mind shouldn't be a problem._"

All he needed to do was wait for the right opportunity to come along. 'Number Two' would regret asking him for _any _kind of 'help'.

* * *

As the last of the creatures slid away, pouring over the side of the valley, Kaze picked himself up from the ground. If Sora hadn't been here before, he was now. Moving along the edge, he gazed down into the writhing mass below him. He needed to get down there somehow. 

A stinging sensation burned in his chest, distracting him. It only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough for him to understand what it meant. It wasn't his own pain that he was feeling, it was Sora's. He didn't have time to pick a way down carefully.

He was going to need a little extra help with this.

Kaze closed his eyes, running through Sora's own memories of each Keyblade he'd used. With the Oblivion and Oathkeeper both gone to form the new weapon that he held, he'd need another one to go with it. Blinking, he watched the form of the Kingdom Key take shape in his other hand. Perhaps not the strongest, but he didn't need its strength, just to clear a path, and two would do that better than one.

Another biting stab of pain flared inside him, sharper than the last. "Hold on Sora, I'm coming."

Approaching the rocky edge, Kaze shifted his weight, keeping each Keyblade held to his side in an attempt to keep his balance as he began his descent.

_This is going to be so embarrassing if I fall…_

As he adjusted his position to keep himself from pitching over, he grinned. This was much easier than he'd thought. That was, until he hit the bottom. Stumbling, he hit level ground again. Before he could straighten himself, a group of the Nobodies lunged. Swinging both Keyblades in front of him to keep them away, he started running forward. Both weapons cut through those in his way with ease.

"Kaze!"

Knocking aside a Dusk, he stepped into the smaller clearing that the creatures had formed around his friends. Sora hurried over to him. Kaze smiled seeing that he wasn't too badly hurt. With the pain he'd felt earlier, he'd been expecting to find him in a worse state.

"What are you doing?"

He glanced over to Riku. "Staging a rescue. What does it look like?"

"Great," Riku replied without much enthusiasm. "What's the plan?"

He ducked out the way before a sharp blade could connect with him. "…I kinda didn't get that far."

"Some rescue."

"It's called _improvising_!" Backing away, Kaze joined Sora, covering him from behind. "We're not going to be able to get rid of them until we find who sent them."

"Someone outside the Organization using them?" Sora suggested.

"No, I don't think so." Using a Keyblade to block an attack, Kaze buried the other into one of the creatures. "Axel?"

"Not his style. Besides he's gone."

"Number Two? We can't say for sure what happened to him…"

"Does it matter?" Riku interrupted. "If they're not here, what can you possibly do?"

"I think…" Sora hesitated. "Kaze, I need you to come back with me to the world we were at."

"You found something?"

"Yep. And I need your help with it." Carefully avoiding any further attacks, Sora moved over to Donald and Goofy. "I need you two to keep an eye on Riku for me, ok?"

"I _don't_ need anyone to keep an eye on me."

"What've you got in mind, Sora?" Kaze asked.

"If the train is still working, you and me are going back to that world. Everyone else, I need you to go back to the castle. If the Nobodies don't follow me and Kaze, you all need to be ready to hold them off."

"And if they do follow you two?"

"Then, we might have a problem."

* * *

**Note's: **I wasn't originally going to include an Axel section this chapter, but I thought I'd stick a little vague bit in there to provide some tiny answers and a bit of a set-up for some minor stuff. Might not be a specific section for him for a few chapters now though. ;) 

Not much to comment on this chapter. Would everyone still like me to respond to reviews through the new system?

Oh, and if you don't mind hearing it outside the game, the full version of Passion has now been released – beautiful song. I love it!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **Characters/Locations are property of Square and/or Disney. I own nothing.

**Break The Chains That Bind Us **

** Chapter Four**

"_Castle Oblivion?" He repeated the name, his confusion growing. That didn't exactly sound very 'welcoming'. _

"_You probably have a lot of questions. I think I can help clear some stuff up." She turned around and began walking away, but noticing he wasn't making any move to follow, the girl glanced back at him. "If you'd like to follow me…"_

_Kaze stayed where he was. "Who are you?"_

"_My name is Namine." _

_She seemed about to add more, but he cut her off. "You were there, at Twilight Town. I saw those people take you away."_

"_Take me away?" She frowned, pausing for a moment. "Oh, no. I'm not from your Twilight Town. They weren't taking me away from there; they were moving me. To here."_

"_Are they still here?"_

_Realizing why he was weary of following her, she smiled. "They're all long gone."_

_Nodding, he finally started after her. Kaze remained silent as she led him through the floors of the castle, each one identical to the last. Plain white washed tile walls and marble flooring. He already hated the place. Counting off each floor as they moved up them, the girl, Namine, stopped on the Thirteenth. She guided him into a large, empty room, gesturing for him to take a seat at a long table in the centre of it. _

_Kaze scanned the room, noting the double doors behind him and the drawings tacked to the walls, before sitting. The surface of the table was covered in scraps of paper full of similar sketches. "Are they yours?"_

_Appearing flustered at the question she gathered them up, moving them to the opposite end where she took her own seat. "It gets lonely staying here. They're the only things that I have…"_

_Lonely? If she was the only one here, then were was Sora? He looked up to ask her, but the thoughtful expression on her face as she studied him made him hesitate. _

"_You look just like him."_

"_Sora?"_

"_That's right."_

"_Where is he?" He knew that the tone in his voice made him sound impatient and rude, but he needed to know for certain that Sora was there._

_Namine didn't seem offended. "Don't worry, he's here." She motioned to the set of doors to his rear. "I'll take you to see him soon, but first, I want to try and help you. There's a lot to explain…"_

_Satisfied with her answer he relaxed more. "You're the one who called me here, aren't you? How did you do that?"_

"_I'm the witch in charge of over- seeing Sora's memories. He and you are linked. I was able to use that connection to speak to you the way I did."_

_Kaze blinked, puzzled. Maybe a simpler question would help more? "Who exactly **is** Sora?"_

"_He's a Keyblade Master." Namine met his gaze before continuing. "He's also… your other half."_

_He shifted in his seat. "What's that supposed to mean?"_

"_When someone loses their heart willingly, usually a shell, their **body**, along with their soul remains – that becomes what is called a NEO. A Non-Existent one." Her eyes seemed to be filled with sadness and pity as she fixed them on him. "That's what you are."_

_He shook his head. "I don't understand…"_

"_Sora… He lost his heart through sacrificing himself for someone very important to him, but he got it back. In the time it was missing however, you were created. You are Non-Existent, but you're still here. Those memories that you've been experiencing? They're Sora's."_

_He had at least worked that much out himself. Kaze closed his eyes as he absorbed her words. "I could see his memories, because… of our connection, right?"_

_Namine nodded. "You're linked through Sora's heart. I suppose you could say that you share half of it, but because of this, Sora isn't complete anymore. He's not a whole."_

"_I'm… using something, that should be his, because I don't have my own…" He felt numb. This wasn't the kind of thing he had wanted to hear. _

"_You're… not really supposed to exist." Her voice was sympathetic. "You're unique. The two of you shouldn't **both** be here." She fell silent, allowing him a moment to think over what she had said._

"…_Can I see him now?"_

_Namine's smile returned. "Of course." Standing, she moved around the table to the doors behind him. "He's in here." _

_Kaze joined her, the cold feeling from her words temporarily replaced by excitement. Finally, he could meet him, his 'other half'. _

_The room that they entered was bigger than the halls that she had taken him through to get here, bigger even than the room they had just left, yet oddly empty._

_Empty, apart from the strange pod shaped cylinders inside._

_Namine took him over to one. She waved her arm towards it with a brief nod, before stepping aside, allowing him to get closer and look in. _

_A boy that appeared to be his own age slept inside. The resemblance was striking. For a moment, he wondered if he was simply seeing his own reflection in the glass surface of the pod, until he noticed the slight differences. _

"_Sora…" He whispered the name under his breath before turning to the girl alongside him. "What's wrong with him?"_

"_He's just sleeping."_

"_Can't you wake him up?"_

"_No, not yet. It isn't time."_

"_What happened to him?"_

"_He… lost his memories." Her expression was pained as she looked away. "I've been putting them right again."_

_Was that what she had meant about "over-seeing" his memories? "Then, he **will **remember me when he wakes up?"_

"_He never knew about you."_

_Kaze faced her, his eyes narrowing. "Didn't he ever see any of my memories, like I saw his?"_

"_No. And I made sure to take care of things, in case that happened when he leaves here." Seeing the slight flash of annoyance that flickered across his face she quickly added, "I'm sorry, but you have to understand, things will be confusing enough for him already."_

"_So, he really won't know anything about me?"_

"_He may feel like he recognizes places or people you know, but otherwise…"_

_Kaze decided to let it drop. For some reason, knowing that hurt more than it should have. "Will he wake up soon?"_

"_It won't be too long now."_

"_Then, I want to stay here until he does."_

"_You can't." Namine shook her head firmly. "There's still something that you need to do. Besides, the Organization may not have shown it just yet, but they will be interested in you. If you stay here, it would be dangerous for both of you right now."_

"_Then, when he wakes up, you'll tell him about me, right? You'll tell him that I came to see him, and where he can find me?"_

_Her gaze dropped to the floor. "I won't be here."_

"_Where are you going?"_

"_I'll still be in the Castle, but there are plenty of places for me to stay so I'll be out the way until he leaves."_

"_Won't he want to see you again after he wakes up?"_

"_I…" She bit her lip. Kaze could see the misery in her eyes. He could hear the hurt in her voice as she tried to hide it. "I shouldn't interfere anymore than I already have."_

_He looked back into the pod, to the peacefully sleeping boy inside. "He's never going to know about me…"_

"_You're free to find him and tell him everything once he leaves here. He'll need your help. It may just be a little while until you can finally speak to each other."_

_Kaze reached a tentative_ _hand up to place on the pod's surface. "Sora, I'll see you again soon. I promise." He turned to Namine. "Thank you." _

"_There's still something that you need to know." The girl took him back into the previous room before she stopped near the pinned up drawings, looking over them. "You'll Awaken soon. You are his other half, after all."_

"_Awaken?" Hadn't the Organization members said the same thing about him, all that time ago?_

"_The Keyblade chose Sora as its master because of his strong heart… Because you share that, you'll share the burden of being a Keyblade Master."_

"_I don't even know what a Keyblade is."_

"_You will." Namine faced him again. "Kaze… He's going to need you. Sora, he's got a very important task that he still needs to complete. As he is now though, I'm not sure if he can… You understand what I said about him not been complete, don't you?"_

"_What are you trying to say?"_

"_When that times come…" She trailed off as Kaze watched her expectantly. "It won't be easy for either of you. Especially you."_

_He grinned at her. "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do yet, but me and Sora will make great Keyblade Masters together."_

_Her eyes still held that same sadness, but if he'd misunderstood her, she didn't bother to correct him. "I'm sure you will."_

_Thanking her once more, he turned to leave._

" _Good luck, Kaze."_

_

* * *

_Breaking through the lines of the creatures, Sora made a run back for the train with Kaze alongside him, while they had a brief gap.

The Nobodies made no move to follow them.

As they boarded the front carriage, he turned to see where they were, and felt a mixture of disappointment and relief seeing them holding their position. If they weren't following, it meant him and Kaze would be able to leave without a problem, assuming that they could get the train working again. But if they weren't moving, they'd still be _here_, where his other friends were. Where _he'd_ sent them. He had thought by sending them back, they'd be safe at the Castle.

They were _supposed _to follow him.

"Sora, I need some help."

Reluctantly moving away from the doors, Sora joined Kaze at the front of the vehicle. Flashing lights and panels filled with rows of colourful buttons lined a console set into the head of the smaller carriage.

"It just seems like it's powered down," Kaze informed him as he started pressing some of the buttons randomly.

"Don't _do _that!" Sora grabbed his wrist to stop him touching anything else. "It might… explode or something."

Kaze titled his head to give him an incredulous look. "How many self-exploding trains have you heard of, Sora?" As the grip was released from his hand, Kaze continued running fingers across the panels, hitting anything that they came across. "It's not like we can break it anymore."

Sighing, Sora scanned the console before settling on a group of flashing lights and reached out to touch them. His hand stopped halfway, the sound of the train grinding to life startling him. The solid shutters from earlier pulled away from the windows.

"Nice job Sora! Since when did you learn how to use one of these things?"

"I didn't touch anything."

Stepping away, Kaze frowned. "That wasn't me either." The vehicle slowly began moving. "How do we know it's going to take us where we want to go?"

"I don't know. I never thought to ask anyone how they worked." Sora returned back to the previous carriage, taking a seat alongside one of the windows. "I don't like this."

Kaze wandered over to sit in front of him. "Maybe they're all ghost trains."

"That's _not_ funny!"

"It doesn't matter now anyway. Let's just see where it goes."

As he sank into the back of the chair, Sora closed his eyes. What was going to happen to everyone else, while they were gone? It would be his fault if they came back to find those _things_ had destroyed Hollow Bastion.

"They'll be alright, Sora. Everyone will be able to hold them off. Just wait until we get back and you'll see! There'll be nothing left for us to even clear up."

Opening his eyes, Sora gave Kaze a small grin. "They're probably going to get all the fun."

"Since when was riding trains into the middle of nowhere not fun? Where are we _supposed_ to be going, anyway?"

"We found a Door on that last world, but it's not the one I was looking for."

Kaze groaned. "Just how many of these Doors are there?"

"Four. There _should _be four. One of them, Kingdom Hearts, I've already sealed." Sora looked away to watch the passing scenery outside before continuing. "This one should be Present. Light, and In-Between are the two left."

"In-Between…?"

He glanced up sharply, noticing the sudden change in Kaze's voice. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." The other boy shook his head slightly. "Opening or closing these Doors won't do anything to either of us, will it?"

Why had he suddenly sounded so worried? Why would anything happen to them? "Of course not!"

Kaze fell silent, drifting off into his own thoughts. Sora wasn't sure if he was just hearing things or not, but he was certain the last thing he had caught him muttering was something about "distant hearts".

* * *

Kaze was shaken out of his confused trance as Sora announced that the train had stopped. Just how long had be been thinking to himself for? 

Both standing, they moved over to the doors, Keyblades at the ready. As they slid aside, Sora exited first. Kaze stepped out after him, eyes searching the area. There was nothing but a dull green field of long grass before them, stretching out to some trees in the distance.

"This is the same place."

Satisfied they were safe, Kaze dismissed his weapon as he followed Sora through the grass. "There's no one here."

"It's empty. There's nothing here at all." Sora glanced over his shoulder. "Let's just find this Door and get back to Hollow Bastion."

"You remember where it is?"

"I've got a good idea."

As they moved deeper into the world, Kaze realized just how _empty_ it was. If there were no people on this world, perhaps it wouldn't have seemed so strange, but there weren't _any_ signs of life at all. No birds in the trees, no sounds of anything moving in the bushes around them… Nothing. The only sounds were those of their own footsteps and of the faint wind rustling the leaves above them. It reminded him of the Other Side, of the dark filled world that shared the name of his own home. Only this world wasn't swallowed by the Darkness. Why would a Door be _here_? What exactly had happened to this world?

A new sound caught his attention. Running water somewhere close by.

Hearing it too, Sora began heading towards it. "It's over here."

Walking through a parting in the trees, they emerged into a clearing. A clear lagoon ran through the centre of it. A solid mountain wall lined the back of it, with a waterfall gushing down it.

Sora led the way, shuffling along the edge of the body of water, and slipping behind the raining torrent into a cave beyond it.

And there, built into the far back wall, was the Door they had came for. A combination of black and white with solid golden handles on either side of it, accompanied by a simple Keyhole beneath each. Now Kaze understood why Sora had needed his help with it.

"So, what do we do? Seal it? Open it?"

"I'm…not sure."

Kaze moved closer, reaching out to touch the cold surface of the Door with one hand. "You said this one is Present, right? I think we should open it."

Sora stepped up alongside him, rolling his eyes. "You just want to see if it leads anywhere."

"No, I'm serious! If this is Present, that means _now_, doesn't it?" Receiving a blank stare from Sora in reply, he carried on. "This is the Present world, where we are now. Hollow Bastion, your home, they're all _now_. They're not part of Dark, or In-between, or even Light – although that might change when you open the Door to it. I think we're supposed to open this one too."

Sora didn't appear convinced. "If we're wrong, we don't know what will happen…"

"There might be a lot of un-happy people if we screw things up, but that's alright." Kaze flashed him a confident smile. "I'll take the blame!"

"I don't think it'd be quite that simple." Calling the Keyblade into this hand, Sora retreated to the middle of the cave. "But, let's see what happens."

Kaze took up a position next to him, his own weapon in hand. He had tried to sound like he knew what he was doing, but he was as unsure about it as Sora was. Still, they only had two choices; at least he'd taken the decision away from Sora by making it himself.

As Sora levelled the Keyblade to aim it at the Door, Kaze did the same. Two identical beams of pure white light shot out of both, one streaming to each Keyhole. There was the gratifying sound of something unlocking before both sides of the Door gradually parted. Expecting to be able to see something behind it, Kaze was surprised as the object faded before revealing anything. The panels, the Keyholes, the handles, _everything_ dissolved; leaving nothing behind but the damp wall of the cave that it had been set into.

Had they got it right? Kaze glanced towards Sora hoping he had a better idea of what happened. "Is that it?"

"What were you expecting?"

"Lots of pretty lights? Fireworks?"

"It's a _door _Kaze, it's not going to throw us a party."

He pouted as Sora began heading for the exit. "I never said anything about a party, although, that _would_ be nice. Don't you think we deserve one after…" He froze as he spotted movement.

Flames were rising out from the ground, growing as they spread across the exit and the edge of the cave. Sora spun around, his eyes growing wider at the sight of something behind Kaze.

He turned around slowly. Seeing the fire had planted one name in his mind, but the person standing there wasn't the same that he was expecting to see. Even with the hood pulled up, concealing their face, he knew who the cloaked figure was.

The twin red blades in either hand told him exactly who it was.

* * *

**Note's: **Oops. Sorry, but that was just the perfect place to leave this chapter. I didn't think I'd have this one done for a while, but it's ready so here it is! Hm, a few things I was going to comment on, let's see if I can remember all of them. 

Mostly dialogue this chapter, but I think it served its purpose – the general idea of the plot is pretty much set up now. Not much action here, but that should come up next. The main focus on this chapter was really the flashback section – it's the longest one yet! There are a few quotes here that will be familiar. The "distant hearts" one will be showing up again next chapter, and will play an important part in the story. There's a pretty big hint about what the plot will gradually start revolving around. ;)

This was supposed to be a more light-hearted chapter since, well… things aren't going to stay that way for long.

I think that was all…


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **Characters/Locations are property of Square and/or Disney. I own nothing.

**Break The Chains That Bind Us **

** Chapter Five**

_Kaze rested his head against the cool glass surface of the window as the train returned to Twilight Town. He'd gone over everything Namine had told him repeatedly since leaving, each time becoming more painful than the last. He wasn't even meant to exist, that's what she'd said, that he was just a part of someone else. What had he been expecting? Whatever it was, it sure hadn't been anything like that. He'd known right from arriving in that other world, that something hadn't been right, but to be told that it was because he wasn't supposed to **exist**…_

_Still, that wasn't Sora's fault. In fact, he was grateful to Sora. It was because of him that he **did** exist. When he could finally find him, he'd make sure to help Sora in any way possible. If he wasn't meant to be here, then there was nothing he could do to change that, but couldn't he at least make the most of it?_

_But first, he would have to go through whatever this 'Awakening' was and from what he'd understood; he didn't seem to have much choice in it. It didn't sound like something that was going to be very much fun…_

_Sighing, he drew his head away from the windowpane as the train pulled up into the station. At least for now he was able to come back home. He'd even managed to arrive back the same morning he'd left. No one had probably noticed that he had gone missing in the night. Would he finally be able to explain things to his friends now? He'd had a hard enough time understanding everything himself…_

_Seeing the empty streets beyond the window, Kaze smiled as he stood up and moved towards the doors. Explaining might be the easy part, but what about getting them to believe him in the first place? _

_The doors parted, allowing him to step outside. As his feet touched the solid ground of the street, he felt his heart skip a beat, his breath catching in his throat. _

_The world he stood in wasn't his Twilight Town. _

"_**Utter silence…**"_

_He still knew this place. The skyscrapers, the pitch-black darkness that the streets were plunged into… _

…_It was that same world he had first found himself in. _

"_No… Not here. Please not here…" _

_Why had he stepped out into this world? He had seen **his **Twilight Town, his **home** when he'd just looked outside the window. _

_Taking in a deep mouthful of the cold air, Kaze warily began moving through the desolate streets. He'd left this place before; he could do it again. There was no need to panic; all he needed to do was find one of those doorways…_

_The entire city felt surreal. It had been unsettling when he had last been there, but there was something different now. Something that only served to make him feel more anxious than he already was._

_He emerged into a large plaza, overlooked by a towering building that felt disturbingly familiar. A flat screen lay across the top of it, flickering with fuzzy images that he could barely make out. _

_A girl, a beach, flashes of silver hair and cloudless blue sky…_

_His gaze drifted downwards, to the steps at the foot of it. He recognized the person who stood at the top of them. Their back was to him, but there was no mistaking those clothes, the hair…_

_He **couldn't **be here. Namine had said he wouldn't wake up for a while yet, so why was he here, in this world? Why was he standing there?_

"_Sora?"_

_The boy turned slowly to look at him with glazed, blank eyes, his face expressionless. Pushing aside the little voice at the back of his mind that was screaming at him to **leave**, Kaze started to approach him, only stopping when he was close enough to notice that Sora didn't appear to be looking at him; it felt more like he was looking **into** him. A glassy stare that pierced into his very soul._

"_**Something so simple…**"_

_A bitter chill crept down Kaze's back. "Sora…"_

_Shadows moved to his sides. Spinning around, Kaze found himself surrounded by brightly glowing amber eyes and small black forms; their limbs coiled, ready to leap. He looked back to the building to locate Sora, but he was no longer standing at the foot of it. _

_There was no sign of him at all._

_Before Kaze could call out, the creatures sprang at him. Bringing an arm up to cover his face, he cringed, expecting to feel their clawed hands tear into him, but the only feeling was one of sudden glowing warmth on his flesh. He gingerly pulled his arm away._

"_**The memory beyond…**"_

_Radiant sunlight almost blinded him. Blinking a few times, Kaze shielded his eyes as he stared out at the landscape before him. An endless cyan coloured ocean, the sound of faint waves crashing against the golden sand beneath his feet…_

_A beach, he was standing on a beach. He knew from the images in his dreams that this was Sora's home. So serene and tranquil, yet there was a nagging feeling of unease. This wasn't right, **none** of it was right. How could he be there?_

_The peaceful scene swiftly shifted. The world around him melted, the surrounding sandy floor dissolving, as dark purple clouds swallowed the sky and sea. The ground he was standing on disappeared as it too was devoured, leaving him to fall backwards and plunge into the darkness that had replaced everything._

"_**Distant hearts…**"_

_His fall slowed as the blackness around him was joined by something else. A brightly coloured circle of decorated glass below._

"… _**when rejoined as one…**"_

_The picture that was displayed was easy for him to make out. As Kaze gently landed on a far side of it, he backed away, looking down at the stain-glass image of a boy. _

"… _**may find the light within.**"_

_An image of Sora. _

_He spun around to look at his surroundings, but there was nothing to take in. Apart from the platform he stood on, there were only deep shadows around him. Kaze cautiously walked forward. _

"_**Take out your weapon, Keyblade Master**."_

_His weapon? Kaze frowned. He didn't **have** a weapon. His panic grew as white creatures began to rise from the surface of the glass, oozing forms taking shape as their bodies manifested. Bladed arms hung at their sides, their tear-shaped faces parted to reveal rows of needle sharp teeth._

"_**Your hearts are connected. Take out your weapon.**"_

_He didn't need to be told twice. Closing his eyes, Kaze focused on re-calling Sora's memories. A Key shaped weapon that used many forms… Was that what he was supposed to be looking for? Then how could **he** use it?_

_Two images stood out more clearly than the others. A sleek black and a solid white one, each with similar wing shaped handles. The names came to him with ease – Oblivion and Oathkeeper._

_Kaze yelped in surprise as he opened his eyes to see the weapons forming, one in each hand. _

_So, **that** was a Keyblade…_

_The creatures took their chance to lunge. He swung both Keyblades wildly, cutting down one of the white forms. Oathkeeper connected with another of the entities as it surged forward. He spun around, slamming Oblivion into a third. _

_Cracks began running through the platform._

"_**Light, dark…**"_

_Kaze scrambled backwards, slashing at the silver beings, as they pressed closer towards him._

"… _**and In-between.**"_

_The platform shattered sending him plummeting into the black depths._

"_**You are of the third.**"_

_Another circle formed of the same colourful glass came into view beneath him. This one wasn't just adorned with an image of Sora. Small portraits of people from Sora's memories lined the edges, while one of his other half with a golden Keyblade in hand filled the centre. Kaze didn't have time to look at any of them in detail, as he felt himself hit the surface; this time the landing wasn't quite so gentle._

"_**As are they.**"_

_Kaze picked himself up tentatively. 'They'? He glanced around, confused. _

"_**Find the boy, once he awakens…"**_

_He froze as he felt a shadow fall over him. He turned, gripping both Keyblades tightly._

_Behind him, something rose up at the edge of the platform. Something **big**. Kaze backed away, as it continued to stretch up and loom over him. Its silver head leaned to the side like it was staring down at him, though it had no visible eyes. Long, sturdy arms were held loosely at its side. One curled backwards, as it reached up, its hand forming into a fist…_

_Kaze braced himself, holding each Keyblade at the ready. He had to fight **that**?_

_The hand crashed down into the glass that he stood on, causing it to shake violently. The other arm sweeped towards him, aiming to knock him off the side while he tried to regain his balance. Recovering in time to see the attack coming, Kaze dodged aside, swinging Oathkeeper to try and catch the arm as it was pulled back. The weapon bounced off the armoured limb. Realizing he wasn't going to get anywhere that way, he ran forward, throwing himself onto it as the hand was retracted._

_Running along its length, he jumped across to the creatures shoulder, praying he wouldn't tumble off the side, and drove Oblivion into the side of its skull. The head was thrown backwards, in what Kaze took as a sign of pain. As it pitched forward again, he felt himself loosing his footing. Half falling and half rolling, he landed back on the edge of the surface below. _

_Without anytime to catch his breath back, he moved out the way again to avoid been squashed as the creature pounded the glass again. Scurrying to the opposite side, where he hoped he was out of its range, Kaze drew his arm back to throw Oathkeeper in a desperate attempt to do some damage from a distance. The move was something he had never performed himself, yet he was confident he could pull it off. He could **see **it perfectly in his mind. _

_The weapon stuck flesh and as the giant form reared back once more, Kaze raced towards it, bringing Oblivion back, ready to swing it with as much effort as he could. Side stepping as a hand was swung blindly towards him, Kaze plunged his weapon into the creature's exposed chest. Retrieving Oathkeeper, he stumbled away as it fell from view, disappearing beyond the side of the platform._

"… _**Your destinies are intertwined.**"_

_Kaze sank to his knees, allowing the weapons he held to fade away. The floor gave way beneath him one last time. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, feeling himself falling._

_When he opened them again, he found himself sat alongside a window, back on the same train that he had taken earlier. The vehicle was parked in Twilight Town's station. _

"_Not again…" _

_Pushing himself off the seat, he moved over to the doors. This time they parted to reveal the streets of his home. Empty, but it was still the early hours of the morning, no one would be around yet. Still, Kaze wasn't convinced._

_Stepping off to assure himself he was really back this time, that the scenery around him wasn't going to melt away and change, he heaved a satisfied sigh. _

_Some odd dream that was…_

_Lifting a hand in front of him, Kaze made a half-hearted attempt to summon the weapons that he had wielded only moments ago. They had at least felt real. **Everything **had felt real._

_Including the Keyblades._

_His eyes widened as the black shape of Oblivion took form in it. Glancing to his other hand, his shock only grew as Oathkeeper appeared._

_Was this what the Organization members and Namine had meant, when they had said that he would 'Awaken'?_

_Staring at them for a moment longer, he dismissed them and headed for the Clock Tower, **his** Clock Tower, with an amused grin. So maybe it **hadn't** been such an odd dream._

_At least now he had proof. How could he friends not believe him when he shown them this?_

* * *

Sora didn't even have chance to question why Number Two was standing there before he _moved_. He heard Kaze shout his name, he felt the Keyblade taking form in his hand, he saw a blur; black and pulsing crimson, then he was throwing himself to the side, scrambling out of the way. 

The NEO spun around, blades flashing, as he came straight for him. Sora threw the Keyblade up to block the attacks, before rolling aside and getting to his feet. One blade was thrust forward, aimed for his back. Dodging out of the way, Sora risked a glance to see where Kaze was. He couldn't see him, but it was easy to tell where he was from the circle of flames that had gathered on the other side of the cave. He was certain he could make out another black-coated figure standing alongside the ring of fire, but he didn't have time to look closer. Another violent flurry of attacks distracted him.

Sora focused his full attention on defending himself, moving the Keyblade to meet each attack and trying to occasionally slip one of his own in, but he was finding keeping up difficult. Alone, he had to keep track of both the deep-red weapon's movements as well as trying to fight back and it was obvious that Number Two was deadly serious this time. He wasn't even bothering toying with him, his intention was perfectly clear.

What had opening that Door done? What about the rest of them? He was certain that Number Two didn't want him to walk away from here and have the chance to find anymore of them, but why? The question made him painfully aware of just how little he knew. He was acting on so little information, he wasn't even entirely sure what he was supposed to be doing. Find his 'Door to the Light', open it, and then what?

The edge of one blade flickered past Sora's face. Jerking his head aside sharply, he struck out with his own weapon.

Wasn't it a little late to be questioning things now? This was his fault. He'd come here, knowing that something wasn't right, and blindly walked into this. When they left here, he was going to make sure that the first thing he did was get a better idea of what he was doing…

The Keyblade clashed with scarlet energy, the two weapons locked against each other for a brief second before Sora felt himself pushed violently away.

…_If_ he left here.

Stumbling, trying to regain his balance, Sora saw the flashing blade cutting a wide arc through the air too late. As he moved to the side to avoid it, the sharp beam caught the side of his arm, causing him to give a startled yelp. He swung the Keyblade with his other arm, even as he was pulling the injured one back.

He drew away, backing up and holding his weapon out in front of him to absorb the oncoming blows from Number Two, while cradling his other arm across his chest. He could see the small patch of blood on it, could feel the dull throbbing. If he didn't do something, there was going to be a lot more of his blood spilled.

The Keyblade twitched fiercely in response to another barrage of blows. The NEO's attacks were relentless. How was he supposed to do anything against that when he was having enough trouble defending himself? The only thing he could do was be patient and wait for an opening.

_Like that is going to be easy…_

Each string of jarring strikes grew more furious than the last, until finally, they let up as Number Two drew one blade back ready to drive it forward with force. Sora darted aside as it was thrust past. He moved in to make an attack of his own, but a crippling pain that speared through his chest stopped him.

He halted, all thoughts of the battle and his current situation gone for that split second. There was only thing that pain meant.

His other half was hurt.

* * *

"_Sora_!" 

Kaze called out a warning as he saw the blur of movement stream forward. Calling his own Keyblade into his hand, he took a step forward, only to be stopped as a fresh wave of flames shot up in front of him. Backing up, he glanced around for another way around them, but the fire was spreading, forming a tight circle around him. Through the flickering 'wall' to his left, he could make out another of the cloaked figures standing alongside him. With his hood down, this one was even easier to recognize.

_Axel…_

Kaze shook his head. "You're not supposed to be here…"

Axel didn't appear too interested, his attention fixed on watching whatever was going on with Sora ahead, as he replied. "Actually, we were supposed to be here first."

"That wasn't what I meant!" Kaze paused. "Wait, _we_? You're helping him?" His question was greeted with silence. "Did you happen to forget that little incident where he tried to kill you?"

"I know what I'm doing."

That particular response only served to increase Kaze's frustration. "He's going to kill Sora! Let me help him."

This time, Axel turned to look at him, smirking. "No."

Feeling his anger growing, Kaze averted his attention. He'd just have to find a way to get to Sora himself. His eyes scanned the 'wall' around him, searching for any point he might be able to get past. A sharp stab of pain exploded in his chest, driving him to his knees.

"I wonder which of you that hurt the most. Him? Or you?"

He could feel Axel watching him. He could hear the sickening curiosity in his voice. If Axel hadn't been safely on the other side of the flames, Kaze would have gladly took a swing at him for that comment. He was just _standing_ there and watching.

Picking himself up, Kaze faced the wall of fire in front that was between him and Sora. There was really only one way to get past it…

"_Personally_, I don't see what the problem is. It's not like Sora would have ever found the stupid door anyway."

Hesitating, he glanced back at Axel. He didn't care how or why Axel was there, but there was something in his words that made him stop; it sounded like he was offering an invitation to share a secret. "…What?"

"His own little island would have been the last place he'd have thought of looking for it."

"His island?" Kaze stared at him. Had he just heard him right? "It's on his island?"

"Did I just say that out loud?" Axel gave him a dangerous grin. "Oops."

Kaze wasn't quite sure why he'd just shared that piece of information, but it was clear that it was done on purpose. Whatever Axel was doing, he didn't want to get involved. Right now, what he needed was to get to Sora.

Backing up as far as he could Kaze threw both his arms up to cover his face.

"You don't want to do that."

Hearing Axel's amused voice, Kaze shot him a defiant glare.

_Yes, I do…_

Satisfied his head was shielded as much as possible, he started to run forward. If he couldn't get around the flames, he'd go _through_ them.

Searing heat washed over him as he hit the blazing wave. For the few seconds he was encased in it, he could feel the intense pain as the flames licked his flesh. Emerging on the other side, he dropped to the ground, rolling to try and put out whatever parts of his clothing may have caught fire. He could feel his arms stinging, but he wasn't going to stop what he was doing just to check how badly burnt they may be. Gritting his teeth, Kaze climbed to his feet.

Turning, he found Axel standing behind him, his own weapons now in each hand. "Couldn't you have just sat still?"

Noting he didn't sound too happy, Kaze swung his Keyblade. As Axel blocked the attack, he ducked past him; he didn't have time to waste on him. He shot a quick look over his shoulder to check if Axel was making a move to follow him, but was confused when he saw the NEO had moved off to stand to the side. Why wasn't he making any attempt to do anything? Then again, it _was_ Axel… As long as he wasn't interfering, Kaze decided to leave him to his own devices. For now…

Sora was ahead, doubled over, holding his arm at an awkward angle. Even from a distance, Kaze could tell that Sora was hurt. Number Two was drawing one blade back ready to impale the boy with, and Sora wasn't making a move to stop him. Kaze cursed himself silently, he hadn't even considered it before, but his pain from going through the fire would have hurt Sora too.

Kaze ran at the hooded figure, aiming to strike him from behind. One of the black-cloaked arms moved swiftly, knocking him aside. Landing heavily, he carefully stood up again. He wasn't about to give up quite _that_ easily. His effort, as futile as it may have been, had at least given Sora the chance to recover.

Ignoring the aching throb that was running down each of his arms, Kaze made another attempt to land a hit on Number Two. One arm twisted to the side, bringing up a blade to connect with his weapon. The other swept towards his feet. Springing backwards to avoid it, Kaze had no time to react to the follow up attack from the first blade. Sora stepped in to assist, blocking the blow with his Keyblade.

Both of them took the opportunity to withdraw slightly, but giving Number Two some room was a mistake. Kaze froze as he saw the faint white hexagonal pattern forming in front of them.

Things were about to turn nasty.

* * *

**Note's: **Naughty cliffhangers! _Naughty_! 

Hm, I think this was the longest chapter yet and I still didn't quite cover everything I wanted to. I chose to end it at that point because I find writing long fight scenes _hard_. There was already a little one in the flashback on top of the main one too, so I decided to break this up a bit. In fact, this was the chapter I've had the most difficulties in writing yet, so hopefully it doesn't show.

Another lengthy flashback section, but that will probably be the last. I'm still toying with ideas for more, but I doubt any of them will be quite as long as the previous two have been. And I have no idea where that trippy little "dream" sequence came from. I was looking at that tiny sample screenshot of KHII Sora in FMV and then ended up writing that…My mind works in weird ways.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **Characters/Locations are property of Square and/or Disney. I own nothing.

**Break The Chains That Bind Us**

**Chapter Six**

_Kaze climbed to his feet, sighing as he cast a quick glance around the roof of the Clock Tower before making his way down to the streets below. Things had happened so fast since he'd got back, and now he didn't know what to do next…_

_ After returning from his visit to Castle Oblivion, he'd sat alone, running through everything, thinking of where to start when he tried explaining things. He'd expected his friends to show up there like they usually did, but there was no sign of them. It was only sometime later he'd left to find them himself and came across one of those same strange white creatures from that place in his dream._

_Pushing aside his surprise, Kaze had summoned one of the Keyblades, intending to get rid of it; the very thought of one of those **things** in his home sickened him, but it had moved. He'd given chase, his thoughts so completely fixed on it that he had failed to notice the sets of eyes watching him from above._

_His quarry bounced off the walls as he pursued it down an alleyway. Just as he'd caught up to it, a small dark swirl of purple and black had opened, the creature disappearing inside of it. Admitting defeat, Kaze had dismissed his weapon as he glanced around to see if there were anymore of them, puzzled at its appearance. _

_He'd returned to the roof of the Clock Tower and it was there that he had his first fateful encounter with a member of the Organization. The fight had been a short one, Kaze put his loss down to the fact he was taken by surprise. _

_The confrontation had only left him more confused. Whoever they were, they had shown a great deal of interest in Sora and his location. Didn't they already know where Sora was? Wouldn't they know he was back at that Castle with Namine? Perhaps Sora was already awake and had left…_

_Kaze had told them that he hadn't met Sora, which wasn't exactly a lie. He hadn't met him in person yet after all. Even more confusing had been the Organization member's surprise at seeing Kaze with the Keyblades. Didn't they already know that this would happen? Maybe he wasn't supposed to have 'awakened' yet, or maybe they had just been ill informed. Either way, the meeting had assured Kaze of one thing; he was going to have to find Sora and fast if he had left Castle Oblivion already. He wasn't going to allow any of these people to get to him first._

_As he exited the Clock Tower and emerged back on the streets, he heard a voice that he recognized calling his name. Turning, he spotted the familiar face of the brown haired girl running towards him. "Kaze!"_

"_Olette? What's wrong?"_

_She stopped in front of him, doubling over to catch her breath back. "I saw flames! What happened here?"_

_"Ah, that." Of course, the fire that the Organization member had created up there had probably been visible all the way across town. He gave her a sheepish grin. "I kinda got into a bit of a fight…"_

_She inclined her to the side. "With who?"_

_Kaze didn't reply, instead he gently pushed her behind him as he stepped forward. More of those creatures were scurrying past ahead. He summoned the Keyblades, ignoring her startled yelp and sudden bombardment of questions. He wasn't going to give those things a chance to attack. Instructing her to stay put, he edged towards them and swung each of his weapons, disposing of those in his way. Glancing back towards Olette, he waved a hand at her, signalling for her to follow him. _

_She fell into step alongside him, but it didn't take long before she started her questioning again. "How did you do that? Where did you get those things? What are they?"_

_Double-checking to make sure they were safe for the moment, Kaze stopped and faced her. "I need your help. I have to find someone, but I have no idea where to start looking. I'm going to have to stay somewhere else for now, they know they can find me at the Clock Tower."_

_She frowned at him, but slowly nodded. "We can find you somewhere else to stay, but… **who** could find you there?"_

_Kaze paused. This was going to be harder than he had first thought. "The Organization… I need to find…"_

"_Kaze!" She cut him off, giving him a disapproving look. "You're in trouble with the Organization?"_

"_Sort of. I need to find someone before they do."_

_The answer seemed to satisfy her. Olette's face brightened. "I can help with that! What do they look like?"_

_Now this was going to prove interesting. Kaze smiled, "Me. He looks like me." He didn't wait for her response to that. "He and I… We're connected. His name is Sora."_

"_Connected? Like… a relative?"_

_Kaze brought a hand to his forehead in frustration. "No… Not quite." Pulling his hand away, he called Oathkeeper into it. "This is something that I can use because of Sora."_

_She leaned forward to look at it closer, gingerly touching it with a finger. "Like a gift…?"_

_He shook his head. How was he going to explain this one? "It's something that I…"_

"_Borrowed?"_

_Maybe it was better if he didn't go into any more detail. "Yes, that's it. I'm borrowing it…"_

"…_And you want to give it back?"_

"_Something like that. So, will you help me find him?"_

_She nodded eagerly. "It won't take long to find someone here! We can just ask around."_

"_No, he's not **here**. I don't know where he is."_

_She stared at him blankly. "Then, how are we supposed to find him?"_

"_I'll think of something." Kaze started walking again. "For now, let's just get somewhere safe where those creatures can't bother us."_

"_Those white things? I've seen them before, but never this many."_

_He spun around towards her. "You've seen them before now?"_

"_There's usually one or two around the place. There always have been. I've heard people say that they belong to the Organization, that they can control them. Others claim that they're the result of their weird experiments…they call them Nobodies."_

_Why had they appeared in his dream if they were connected to the Organization? Because of what that voice had said? That he was **like **them, the same as them… In-Between…_

_He jolted as he felt a hand tapping his shoulder. Drawing it away, Olette rolled her eyes at him. "You're always spacing out like that." Once she was sure that she had his attention, she continued, "You can stay with Hyne for now, and tomorrow…"_

"_That's no good. I need somewhere to stay with no other people. I don't want anyone else getting caught up in this…"_

"_Alright, we'll find somewhere else. Then tomorrow, we look for eh, what's his name again?"_

"_Sora." Kaze closed his eyes. "His name is Sora."_

_Neither of them said anything more as Olette guided him to one of the many empty houses in a far corner of the town. Kaze disliked the area; it was a reminder of what the Organization had done to this place. Had the people who had once lived there simply abandoned it and left, or had they all been taken away? Despite the uncomfortable feeling around there, it was at least a safe place for him to stay for now. _

_Assuring him she'd be back first thing in the morning, Olette left him alone. He settled himself down in a corner, taking out both Keyblades and turning them each over as he examined them. He didn't sleep, out of fear that another attack from the Organization may come, and out of fear that he'd be plagued by more strange dreams. Finding the hours weren't passing fast enough, he ventured back outside._

_His short walk only disheartened him more. This entire section of the town was crawling with the silver forms of those creatures, the Nobodies… That was what Olette had said they were called. Why were there so many of them here now? Was it because of him? The thought pained him but the feeling quickly turned to anger for the Organization. This wasn't his fault; it was theirs. If they **did** have control over them, then they were here because of **them**. _

_Kaze was grateful when Olette returned early. He greeted her outside the building he had stayed in as she led him back to the Clock Tower. She informed him that she had told the others to meet them there so that they could lend their assistance with coming up with an idea to look for this 'Sora'. _

_Hyne was already waiting outside; upon seeing them returning, the blonde-haired boy hurried over to them both. "He really did look like you!"_

_Kaze blinked. "What?"_

"_I saw him, he was here. In **our** Clock Tower!"_

_"Sora? Sora was here?"_

"_Well, I don't know if he was who you were looking for, but he did look like you…"_

"_Where did he go?"_

"_Towards the Station, but…" Kaze was already moving. He couldn't believe his luck; Sora had come to him, to his home! "… Kaze, wait! He was with some of those weird Organization people."_

_Kaze didn't slow, that added information only made him quicken his pace. He heard footsteps behind him, and then Olette's voice calling out to him._

"_Kaze, will you slow down? Where are you going?"_

_He glanced back at her. "To the Organization's main place. That's where they'll take him…"_

"_You can't! Kaze, stop it! Please."_

_This time, he stopped and turned to face her. "I'll be alright. I'll go find Sora, and I'll take care of anyone who tries to stop me! I'll stop whatever **they're **doing too. They'll be sorry for sending any of those creatures and messing with this town."_

_His words didn't seem to encourage her much; her expression only grew more worried. "You can't just walk in there like that…"_

_Kaze grinned. "Watch me!" Noticing her face drop even more he cringed. This **really **wasn't working. "I have to go. I'm sorry."_

_"You're just going to leave, without saying goodbye to everyone?"_

"_I don't have time. I don't know how long it will be before I can come back, but I will. I promise." _

_Olette smiled sadly. "And you'll bring Sora too, right?"_

"_I'll bring Sora too." Giving her a small wave, Kaze started to walk away again, leaving behind his friends and his home._

_

* * *

_  
Axel stayed back, lingering around the side of the cave and watching.

Before even coming here, Axel had made sure he at least got filled on things a little better, and he'd made sure to take his time over it too. He didn't care either way if Sora and the other one found these 'Doors' or not; it didn't effect him. He'd got some satisfaction to arrive here and find that they had already took care of this one. If that meant Number Two wasn't pleased, then good. He hadn't exactly expected Number Two to be quite _this_ mad though. Axel was glad he wasn't the one on the receiving end of that bad mood.

His instructions hadn't really been all _that_ clear, so Axel had figured he was 'helping' out enough by keeping the other one out of the way while his _wonderfully_ efficient 'partner' took care of things. Number Two hadn't actually expected him to do any fighting, had he? He was out of practice; observing was much more interesting. He wasn't very impressed with Sora's performance so far, he'd expected better. This was just outright disappointing to watch.

The most amusement Axel had got from this so far was dropping that particular little 'hint' to Sora's NEO. He still wanted to see how that was going to turn out; maybe he'd have to do a little interfering if Sora kept taking a beating. Both Keyblade Masters were going to be in for a surprise when they found that next Door…

And Axel still had another bombshell to drop too. He _had_ been looking forward to sharing that with the crazy one, at least until he'd gone and dived _through _his flames. Painful, but inventive; he'd have to remember that one.

Looking up, he noticed the faint glow that Number Two seemed to be gathering for an attack. An energy based attack, from the looks of it one that was going to be particularly painful if it connected.

Sighing, Axel allowed his flames around the edges of the cave to drop. He couldn't be expected to keep them up all the time, could he? That required effort on his part. If Sora was smart, he'd realize they'd already lost this one and take the opportunity to leave.

As for _leaving_, it was probably about time that he made himself scarce too. Watching for a few more seconds, Axel turned around and headed for the exit.

* * *

"Move!" 

Hearing Sora yell, Kaze stopped staring and threw himself to the side. Pure white energy almost blinded him as it connected with something behind him. From the sound of rocks falling, he figured it had hit one of the walls.

Even as he was pulling himself to his feet, Kaze was searching for Sora. Spotting the other boy standing on the opposite side of the cave, he felt a wave of relief flooding him. If that had have hit either of them…. He didn't need to think about that. Instead, he'd probably be better focusing on making sure Number Two didn't get the chance to pull off anymore of those attacks.

Gripping his Keyblade tightly, he rushed at the NEO swinging it. The red blades appeared once more in each of his hands before Kaze had even reached him. His own attack was blocked effortlessly by one as the second was already sweeping towards Sora.

Kaze ducked aside and felt the form of another Keyblade taking shape in his other hand; the Kingdom Key. At least with two weapons each, they were a _little_ more even.

Both Keyblades flashed, and both pulsing blades met them in return. Number Two turned around, focusing his full attention on Kaze now. He began backing away as his cloaked opponent launched a string of violent blows. While his attempts to keep up with them distracted him, he didn't see the movement of a leg sweeping across to knock his legs out from under him.

Hitting the floor, Kaze rolled as one blade was brought down, plunging into the ground alongside him. He scrambling backwards, expecting the second to be drove into him, but it never came. Carefully sitting up, he realized why; the NEO had already diverted his attention to Sora.

Kaze stood up, ready to join back in, but he hesitated, noticing the lack of flames. He shot a glance towards the cave's exit. The fact that it wasn't blocked anymore wasn't what caught his attention, something was going on outside. From the small patch of clear sky that he could see from his position, he could make out flashes of silver and white tear shapes streaking across it.

Whatever it was, Number Two appeared aware of it too. One of the dark portals of swirling purple and black clouds had gathered at the rear of the cave, and the NEO was walking towards it, fight seemingly forgotten, or dismissed as un-important.

He was just walking away? Kaze gritted his teeth as he charged at him one last time. Something solid in the air blocked him; as he crashed into it, he stumbled backwards, just as the cloud swallowed up his target.

Appearing from behind, Sora joined him. "He's gone…We should probably leave before he changes his mind and comes back."

Reluctantly, Kaze followed him outside. He craned his head backwards, looking towards the sky. The blazes of light had stopped. "Did you see that?"

Sora nodded. "It looked like something I've seen before. It looked like… a meteor shower."

"Why did he leave because of that?"

"I don't know, but it doesn't matter, he'll be waiting again at the next Door. He must already know where they all are…"

Kaze gave a small grin. "Well, we at least know where the next one is."

Sora titled his head towards him. "We do?"

"It's on your Island, Sora. The Door that you've been looking for is back at your home."

"My home?"

"Assuming Axel was telling the truth, then yes."

For a brief moment Sora didn't move, then he was running, heading in the direction that they'd came, back towards the train. It wasn't quite the reaction that Kaze had been expecting. He hurried after him, almost struggling to keep up. "Sora!"

He slowed, allowing Kaze to catch up. The expression on Sora's face didn't seem happy; he looked troubled, his eyes haunted. "…Sora?"

The other boy started moving again before responding. "We have to hurry."

"Shouldn't we head back to Hollow Bastion first?"

"I have to get there _now_. We can't wait."

"Sora?" Kaze was alarmed. He'd never seen Sora so frantic before.

"He'll be there. He'll be there waiting for us."

Was he referring to Number Two? "Then let him wait. Next time, we'll be ready for him, but right now we should head back to Holl…"

"No." Sora whirled around. "Kairi is there."

He didn't need to offer any further explanation, Kaze understood. Of course he'd want to get back as soon as he could. If that lunatic was there waiting for them… Kaze knew that he'd want to get back to his home as soon as he could too. But he still felt that they were rushing into it; they were both injured from that last fight. If they went ahead like this, they weren't going to last very long during the next inevitable round.

They remained silent until they finally arrived back at the train. The vehicle was still where they'd left it; parked stationary as it waited at the edge of the grassy field.

Kaze waited until they'd boarded it before approaching Sora. "What about Riku?"

Sora's head hung slightly, as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"I think he'd want to come too. And if we're going to be going up against Number Two again, don't you think a little extra help would be nice?"

"There isn't any time…"

"Kairi will be fine. It's the Door he's interested in stopping us from getting to, not her."

There was a long pause before Sora finally turned to him. "Alright, we go back and get Riku. But then we're heading _straight_ there."

Kaze smiled. "That's what I was planning on doing anyway."

* * *

Sora rubbed his forehead as he settled further back into the seat. _Home_, he was going to be able to go back home. The thought that Axel may have lied to Kaze had briefly crossed his mind, but he didn't care; there was no harm in at least going back to check, was there? If Axel was playing any of his games, he was going to be sorry for involving his home in it. 

He'd wanted to take his time, to understand what it was he was supposed to be doing better, before rushing to the next Door's location, but now… now he just wanted to get there as soon as possible.

Sora shifted his gaze across to Kaze, noting the angry-looking red marks running across his arms. He _had_ been right; running into things as they were now wasn't going to do any good.

The return trip seemed to drag out with painful slowness. His reeling mind kept repeating the same question; why his home?

The vehicle pulled up along the edge of Hollow Bastion and both Keyblade Masters wordlessly moved to the doors, their weapons in hand. As they parted, Sora expected to see that swarm they'd left behind waiting for them, but the valley beyond was empty and silent.

"I told you there wouldn't be any left for us."

He didn't share Kaze's optimism. Had the others really taken care of them all? That didn't seem likely…

Keeping an eye out of any 'surprise' attacks, Sora cautiously made his way to the front Castle gates, with Kaze sticking close behind him. Gently pushing aside the main doors, they both entered, stepping into the main hall. They were welcomed back by an enthusiastic Yuffie who guided them into the library even as she was informing them of what had happened. Or rather, _attempting_ to. Sora was already lost, though he picked out the words "completely wiped out" and "Riku".

Namine emerged from behind a row of bookcases, accompanied by Aerith. As Sora allowed her to see to his arm, he turned to Namine. "What happened? There's none of those things left."

The memory witch slowly shook her head. "We didn't do anything." There was a slight hesitation before she continued. "Riku did."

"Riku?"

"He did something." She paused, seeming to consider her choice of words. "There was something like a meteor shower that he called down."

Sora and Kaze exchanged a startled glance. "A meteor shower?"

"Whatever it was, there was none of those Nobodies left when it had finished."

"You think that's why _he_ left?" Kaze asked. "They have some kind of connection to be able to control those things, right?"

That wasn't the main question that Sora was wondering about. Why had they seen it from where they were? "Where's Riku now?"

"The Chapel. He hasn't moved from there since he came back."

Sora immediately moved towards the door, only stopping to face Kaze as he followed him. "Stay here. I'll be right back."

Leaving him in the capable hands of Aerith so she could see to his own injuries, Sora headed for the Chapel.

He found the older boy standing motionless at the far end of the room. He turned around slowly as Sora entered. "Back already?"

"What did you do, Riku?"

"I got rid of them. Aren't you pleased?"

"Couldn't you have done that before?" Sora didn't wait for an answer, that wasn't what he'd come to speak to him about; he could leave that until later. He was wasting time. "We found the next Door." He watched his friend's expression carefully, gauging his reaction. "It's on our Island, Riku."

If Riku was surprised, he didn't show it. "You want me to come with you?"

The question almost sounded like he was amused. Sora's eyes narrowed. "You don't want to?"

"I can't go back, Sora. Not yet."

"We need your help!"

"I'm not coming with you." Riku walked past him to exit the room, the simple movement bringing their conversation to an end.

He hadn't even considered the possibility that Riku would be un-willing to go with him. Why _wouldn't_ he want the chance to go back home? "What about Kairi?" Sora spoke so quietly, he wasn't sure that Riku would even of heard him, but the fading footsteps behind him halted.

"Tell her that I'll see her soon."

The footsteps resumed, leaving Sora completely alone.

* * *

**Note's: **Hm, not too happy with this chapter, but I can't figure out what it is that I'm not pleased with. 

Yay for official names for BHK's friends so I didn't have to think up my own! Flashback sections have now caught up with the events of SITA – I intend on doing just a few important "Kaze-only" events that were mentioned, but not in detail. Sort of a look at things from his side during certain parts.

Next stop: Destiny Islands… That should prove interesting. And no worries; just because that's next doesn't mean it's nearing the end – I'm sure _something_ will come up there. ;)

Check out the amazing new PV trailer on KHU if you haven't already – woahomg! (I _love_ the new verse in Passion!) The official soundtrack listing has also been leaked, however, if you don't want to be spoiled AVOID looking at it. It contains some serious spoilers – from BHK's name to a huge hint at who the final boss will be.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **Characters/Locations are property of Square and/or Disney. I own nothing.

**Break The Chains That Bind Us**

**Chapter Seven**

_As he arrived at the station, Kaze felt his frustration growing. He'd encountered even more of those 'Nobodies' on his way there, and now… Now, the train was missing, meaning he was going to have to waste time waiting for it._

_"Come on already!"_

_A sleek silver form bounced off one of the support pillars nearby. Risking a glance behind him, Kaze could see more of them gathering. Something big was going on, and whatever it was, it was important enough for the Organization to send out an entire multitude of those things._

_Glowing lights finally appeared ahead, signalling that the vehicle was pulling into the station. He piled through the doors before it had even grinded to a complete stop. _

_Moving through the empty carriages, Kaze headed to the front, hoping he could figure out how to get it to take him to his destination. _

_The floor rocked beneath him as it started up again on it's own._

_With no other choice but to see where it took him, Kaze sank into one of the nearest seats, sighing heavily. Everything had gone so… wrong, ever since learning the truth from Namine. He'd never expected to find himself breaking into the Organization's main residence alone._

_The trip there was a surprisingly short one. It disturbed him to see just how close they had always been located to his home. _

_The doors peeled back and Kaze stepped off, almost walking straight into a blast of magic. He jerked aside and glanced sharply to the side to see where the attack had come from and found himself staring at the angry face of a duck. His gaze shifted to its equally strange companion standing alongside it. _

_He knew them, had seen their faces before in flashes of Sora's memories, but it was the person standing over near the doors, that led into the large mansion he had arrived at, that surprised Kaze the most. Sora's childhood friend, and one who had appeared in collages of images in his dreams from the very start._

_Their presence, while providing quite a shock, at least told him one thing. If he was looking for Sora, he was in the right place._

_Cautiously wandering over to the older boy, he paused in front of him. "…Riku?" _

"_You're the one that we were watching, the one I mistook for Sora. I hope Axel didn't go too hard on you."_

"_Axel?" The one he'd encountered back at the Clock Tower? "You're working with **them**?"_

"_No. Definitely not."_

"_You're wearing the same clothes…"_

_Riku regarded him carefully before replying. "You're more one of them than I am."_

_Kaze glared at him. "I've got nothing to do with those people!"_

"_But you **are** like them. You might be considered special, but you're still a NEO. I can tell. Your auras are the same."_

_A NEO… Namine had called him the same thing. So, the Organization members were the same as him… _

_The news wasn't very welcoming. He closed his eyes tightly before yelling, "I'm not like them!" _

_Riku wisely decided against commenting any further. _

_Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Kaze addressed him more calmly. "Where's Sora?"_

_Riku jerked a thumb to the building behind him. "He went inside."_

"_And you're not helping him? What are you doing out here?"_

"_We're on guard duty. Axel's brilliant idea."_

_Kaze shook his head slowly. "Guarding **what**?"_

"_The train…" Seeing the blank stare, he added, "Don't ask. If you want to see Sora, go ahead." Stepping aside, Riku gestured to the doors. _

_Shooting one last look at the three of Sora's friends, Kaze slipped inside. The large hall he stepped into was void of any signs of life. He took in his surroundings, noting the two doors, one on the ground floor in front of him, and one above. Stairs ran up to a balcony overhead. _

"_So far, so good," He muttered. He'd expected a little more resistance, and yet he'd managed to simply walk straight into their own home. If it could even be considered a home…_

_Now all he had to do was locate Sora._

_Selecting the bottom door, Kaze entered it, emerging into a slim corridor lined with doors on either side. He followed the path, calling one Keyblade into his hand to be on guard. Rounding a corner, he almost walked straight into one of the cloaked forms of an Organization member. _

_Recognizing them as the one from his previous encounter, he summoned the second Keyblade, and then froze as his gaze wandered past to the boy standing behind. _

"…_Sora?"_

_From the confused expression on his face, the other boy clearly didn't understand why he was standing opposite someone with Keyblades that looked like him. _

_Kaze had argued, desperate to get him to leave with him, but Sora was determined to stay, mentioning something about looking for a Keyhole. Kaze's efforts had been interrupted by the arrival of a second Organization member, and it was there he had made the decision to let Sora leave. He watched the one person he had spent so long wanting to meet walk away with one of those he considered the enemy. Promising himself he'd find him again soon, he focused on his current problem._

_There was still another rather annoyed Organization member that he was going to have to deal with first._

_

* * *

_

Kaze emerged from the library, debating on conducting a search around the castle for some new clothes to replace his somewhat singed ones. As he stepped out into the entrance hall, movement near the main doors caught his attention. Someone was opening them, heading outside, and from the spiky brown hair, he knew exactly who it was.

"Sora?" He started after him, heading down the stairs to the ground floor and hurrying to exit the castle himself. "Sora!"

The other boy had stopped outside, but he didn't turn around as Kaze approached him. "What are you doing?"

"I'll go there myself if I have to."

"I take it Riku won't be joining us?"

"No." Sora shook his head slowly before continuing to walk away. "Riku won't be coming."

Kaze followed him, remaining silent. Obviously things with Riku hadn't gone quite so well. It wasn't any surprise that Sora felt he had to do this alone if his own friend had turned down his request to go with him to their home. He should have known that Riku wasn't exactly reliable, he regretted suggesting they come back for him. "Then, I guess it's just you and me…"

Sora glanced back at him over his shoulder. "You don't have to come. This is my home, I can take care of it myself."

"You know I like tagging along." Kaze flashed him a reassuring smile. "It's _because_ it's your home that I want to come."

Slowing, Sora nodded. "Maybe I should have told everyone before leaving…"

"They'll figure out where we went. We'll be back before they know it anyway."

"We still have one more Door left after this one…"

"But this is the big one, right?"

"I think so." Sora grinned lightly. "Maybe you'll get your party this time."

The train came into view ahead of them, reminding Kaze of something that he'd being meaning to ask. "How exactly are we going to get there?"

"I assume the train will work. It took us all those other worlds, right? Why would mine by any different?"

Boarding it, Kaze couldn't help letting out a sigh. They really needed to decorate these things, he was getting tired of seeing the same interior so often lately. "Does your Island even have a station, Sora?"

"…No."

This was going to be… fun. Kaze hoped they would be dropped off somewhere close to where they wanted to go. The trains seemed to either pull into a world's station, or drop them off randomly if there wasn't one available. They at least hadn't encountered any problems in getting to their destination using them so far.

Both Keyblade Masters moved to settle into window seats opposite each other as the vehicle pulled away from Hollow Bastion once more. Leaning back, Kaze closed his eyes, letting his thoughts wander. Maybe when this was done with, they could go back to his home too. It had been so long since he'd last seen everyone. He still remembered his promise to Olette before he'd walked away from them; that he'd come back one day and he'd bring Sora with him too.

He still had every intention of keeping it.

As for right now, it was going to be interesting to see Sora's home for real. He had so many memories from that place, even though he hadn't ever set foot there. It was the one location that had haunted so many of his dreams all that time ago.

He half slept in an attempt to pass the time. It was only sometime later when he felt a hand tapping his shoulder softly, causing him to stir.

"We're there," Sora announced, the excitement in his voice clear.

Kaze sat up, looking out the window. The train had seemed to pull up at the edge of a small town; he could make out tiled roofs jutting out from amongst various bushes and trees. The landscape was painted a blazing orange by the setting sun. "This is your home?"

"That's right. This is the main island, where I live." Sora grabbed him by his arm dragging him to his feet and towards the doors.

"Alright Sora, I'm coming!"

As they parted, Sora let go, stepping outside and pausing, looking around.

They'd stepped out on a narrow patch of beach, waves were gently lapping at the sand to their side. The area seemed to be hidden behind a dense section of bushes with a worn dirt path winding between them, disappearing around a corner.

"That leads into town," Sora informed him, noticing where he was looking.

Kaze immediately started towards it, but stopped as Sora told him to wait. "Don't we _want_ to head into town?"

"Not yet." Sora turned around, pointing across the ocean, to a mass in the distance. "We should head there first. That's where the Door will be."

Kaze shielded his eyes against the glow of the sun, squinting to see that the mass across from them was another island. "But, don't you want to see everyone?"

Sora smiled weakly. "I do, but I think we should take care of what we came here for first. I just want to make sure everything is alright…"

He hadn't outright said it, but Kaze knew he meant that he wanted to check that Number Two wasn't here waiting for them. He nodded and fell into step alongside Sora as he began moving along the edge of the breaking waves, heading further down the beach. "How do you know the Door will be there?"

"I think I already know where it is. I've seen it before…It was always here, and I never realized." Sora glanced around, searching for something, before wandering over to a clump of overgrown shrubs and tearing some of them away with his hands. After a few moments work, he began pulling something out.

Kaze joined him, lending his assitance. Two tiny wooden boats were stashed away there. "What are these for?"

"We used them to get across. Me, Riku and Kairi… " Sora frowned as they moved them to the edge of the water. "One of them is missing."

Following Sora's instructions, they both used the miniature rafts to cross over the patch of sea between them and the opposite island. Kaze really didn't feel safe using the wooden structure, but if they'd worked for Sora and his friends so often, he figured he'd better not complain. Still, the rocking and amount of water that seemed to be _leaking_ into his boat really wasn't very reassuring. He was grateful when they finally reached the other side and his feet were planted firmly on solid ground again.

Groaning, he doubled over. "Sora, I think I'm sea sick. Isn't there a better way to go back?"

Sora however, wasn't listening. Looking up, Kaze could see why. Standing further down the beach, looking out across the ocean was the figure of a young girl, one that he recognized, though there were noticeable differences compared to when he had saw her in his dreams; longer hair, and different clothes, but it was unmistakably her.

Sora had taken a few tentative steps towards her, before she slowly turned around, staring in their direction. For a brief moment neither of them moved, then she was running, throwing her arms around Sora as she reached him, with such force that she almost knocked him to the ground.

Kaze lingered back to keep from interfering, while at the back of his mind a nagging question formed; Was anyone back at his own home missing _him _that much?

* * *

Kairi pulled back, looking at him through teary violet eyes. Sora wasn't quite sure what to say; a "Hi Kairi"_ really _didn't feel right. 

She solved the problem for him. "I waited every day, Sora. I knew you'd come back. They all kept saying that you wouldn't, but you promised…" Her head titled to the side, examining him more closely. "You _are _really back, aren't you?"

He nodded firmly, almost trying to persuade himself that he was back as well as her. "I'm sorry that I kept you waiting so long…"

Two arms wrapped gently around him once more in response. "Please don't leave me again."

The words pained Sora to hear. He still had to seal one more Door after this, he couldn't stay, and he couldn't take her with him, could he?

As she withdrew, he reached a hand into his pocket retrieving his most prized item; the good luck charm she had given him. "I kept it safe."

Taking hold of it, she seemed about to say something in reply, but hesitated as her gaze drifted past him to Kaze standing behind.

Realizing that there was probably something else that Kairi was wondering about, Sora quickly spoke before she could ask, "Riku isn't here, but he's fine…" How was he supposed to tell her that he hadn't wanted to come? He couldn't do that to her, but he wasn't going to lie either. Maybe it'd be better if he just didn't give her the chance to ask exactly where Riku was. "He said that he'll see you soon." He stepped aside, gesturing behind him. "And this is Kaze."

She blinked slowly as her eyes drifted from one of them to the other. "He's a Keyblade Master too," Sora offered. Explaining the rest of it was going to be a little harder…

Kaze gave her a friendly grin. "I've been looking forward to meeting you in person."

The comment only appeared to confuse Kairi more. "You two…"

"…Look like each other?"

"It's a little complicated, but we'll explain later," Sora assured her. "There's something here that we need to take care of first, then I'll tell you everything." He'd have rather gone back into town with her where he could fill her in on all that had happened since they were separated, but he couldn't relax until he got this out of the way.

She finally managed to stop glancing between them both and faced Sora. "There's something here?"

"There's a Door that I need to open here." He paused. There was really only one place in his mind where it could be. The same Door that had been there all along, the same one that had he seen open as his world was swallowed by the darkness. Had that been a result of the Door been forcibly opened by someone, or something, that shouldn't have, that night? If _he_ was the one that was supposed to open it…

"I think it's the one in our secret place." Sora started walking forward, heading for the corner where the small cave was hidden. He didn't get far before he stopped, realizing that not only was Kaze following him, but Kairi too. "Kairi, I need you to wait here for a moment…"

"You're just opening it, right?"

Sora exchanged a quick glance with Kaze before responding. "It might be a bit more difficult than that…" Should he tell her that there might be a crazy cloaked guy intent on killing them waiting there? "It shouldn't take long, but I need you to stay here. Please?"

"He might not even be here Sora," Kaze interrupted. "She'll be safe outside. We can check if it's clear and if he's there, one of us can shout for her to run."

"If _who_ is there?"

Sora rolled his eyes at Kaze. She probably wouldn't be very willing to stay put now she knew something was wrong. "Then I'll go in first."

"Wait!" He turned around to face Kairi as she forced a weak smile. "Just… be careful."

Nodding, he summoned the Keyblade and headed into the cave. He could sense Kaze moving directly behind him, but he didn't turn to look, keeping his eyes on the area in front of him, expecting to see the familiar black form in front of them.

The area was empty. Everything was silent; the only sound was that of his own heavy breathing. He hadn't even realized how tense he had been, but as Sora walked further into the vacant space, he felt himself relaxing.

He heard Kaze calling to Kairi, informing her that it was clear, and a moment later, she joined them.

"I guess he knew better than to mess with us this time!" Kaze was smirking, but Sora could tell that he wasn't quite so certain of that. Something _had _to be wrong, why wasn't he here? Didn't he want to stop them?

"Let's just open it…" The sooner the job was done, the better.

Fixing his attention on the Door, Sora was surprised to see it had changed from the last time that he had seen it. The difference was only a small one, but noticeable. The once plain Door was now adorned with a large golden Keyhole of it's own that hadn't been there before.

At least he knew what to do with this one.

_You are the one who will open the door to the light._

Levelling his arm, he held the Keyblade out in front of him. The solid white ray of light streamed out from the tip of the object and flowed to the Keyhole.

A crippling pain shot through Sora's chest the moment the light connected with it. The radiant glow from the Keyblade faded as quickly as it had appeared, severing the contact between it and the Door.

The agony inside of him didn't stop, it only grew stronger, and as he cried out, the weapon slipped from his grasp.

Something was aching inside of him, and he didn't understand why.

He heard someone shouting his name, and then he felt himself falling backwards before everything around him grew dark with shadows.

* * *

Kaze felt his body locking up as he watched. 

"_Sora isn't complete anymore. He's not a whole."_

He felt himself go numb as he saw Sora reeling in pain, crying out.

"_The two of you shouldn't **both** be here."_

A biting coldness spread through his body as he looked on helplessly, watching Kairi running to the other boy's side, calling his name.

"_Sora, he's got a very important task that he still needs to complete. As he is now though, I'm not sure if he can…"_

He didn't move, even as he saw his other half hit the floor.

"_When that times come…It won't be easy for either of you."_

He felt his body shaking, as he started backing away, the knot in his stomach growing.

"_Especially you."_

He wasn't feeling Sora's pain. It was something that was only meant for Sora to feel, and Kaze understood why. He wasn't _meant_ to be here, Sora was supposed to seal this Door on his own.

_He_ was the one that had caused Sora to feel that pain. Because of him, Sora couldn't complete the task that he was destined to do.

One hand was unconsciously brought to press against his chest.

"_You're… not really supposed to exist."_

_

* * *

_

**Note's: **This has been ready for a while, but I had to keep editing it. I wanted the last section to be perfect. And hopefully this upload worked...

Slightly shorter chapter than the rest, but I think that's because the flashback section isn't as long.

This will probably be the last update until after the New Year now, I'm sorry for leaving it where it is, but I really doubt I can get another update done in time. I'll try, but, no promises…

Have a nice Christmas everyone!


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **Characters/Locations are property of Square and/or Disney. I own nothing.

**Break The Chains That Bind Us**

**Chapter Eight**

_Kaze gripped both Keyblades, ready to the face Organization member before him. His hooded opponent however appeared to have other ideas. They stepped away, summoning up a swarm of Nobodies in the tight space of the corridor, blocking Kaze's way to get to them. The creatures lunged, diving straight for him._

_He backed up, using both weapons to cut them down before they could reach him. The cloaked figure didn't seem to approve of his efforts, sending a second wave for him and opening a doorway behind them to retreat into._

_With no intention of letting them just leave, Kaze ran forward, attempting to clear a path by focusing only on the creatures that got in his way. As he got near, Oblivion swept in a wide arc towards the Organization member, just as they were swallowed by the swirling cloud, disappearing completely from view. _

"_Hey! Come back!" Skidding to a halt, he sighed in frustration before spinning around in time to knock aside a leaping Nobody. So much for holding them off for Sora. Obviously there were more important matters for them to attend to. _

_Disposing of the remaining creatures didn't prove much of a problem, the Keyblades making short work of them. Satisfied the area was clear, Kaze hurried in the direction that Sora had gone. His task became more difficult when he came to a split in the hallway, a corridor branched off to either side, and there was another possible path directly ahead. _

_Deciding to keep going forward, he rounded a corner only to find the tip of a blade pressed against his neck. His hand twitched at his side, ready to bring up one of the Keyblades… Until he realized who it was he'd just walked into. _

_The oddly shaped weapon was lowered, and Kaze grinned shakily, relived his head hadn't been taken straight off. "Riku?"_

"_Did you find Sora?"_

"_Yes…"_

_The older boy's eyes narrowed. "Then where is he?"_

"_I sorta lost him again…"_

_Apparently unimpressed, Riku brought a hand up to slap against his forehead. "Hey!" Kaze pouted, "It wasn't my fault."_

_Riku brushed past him, checking the corridor. "Do you know where he went?"_

"_Not really." Noticing the mage that had almost fried him earlier when he'd stepped off the train, Kaze hurried over to stand behind Riku, where it was at least a **little **safer. "He said something about finding the Keyhole for this world…" _

"_And do you know where that is?"_

"…_No."_

"_This is just great. This building is going to take forever to search, it's full of a bunch of unhappy Organization members, and we don't have the first clue where to start looking for Sora."_

_Kaze cringed, it didn't sound like Riku was very happy either. "It's not my fault," he added helpfully. "Besides, you're the one who's pally with the Organization, why don't you just walk up to one and ask them where Sora went?"_

_Riku glared at him. "I am **not** pally with them." He sighed, rolling his eyes. "Are you going to help me look for him, or not?"_

"_Where do you want to start?"_

_There wasn't a chance for Riku to reply. _

"_You will not find him in this world any longer."_

_Kaze twisted around sharply to face the sound of the voice, both Keyblades at the ready. A hooded Organization member stood at the far end of the hallway. Riku pushed past, taking out his own weapon. "Where is he?"_

"_Not here."_

"_Then you're going to take us to wherever he is."_

"_There isn't any reason for you to go there."_

"_If Sora is there, then that's a perfectly good reason. Where is he?" Riku held the blade at his side. Kaze suspected he was getting ready to attack if he didn't get the answer he wanted. _

"_If you want to find him, you'll find him at Castle Oblivion." There wasn't an opportunity for Riku to reach them; once the statement was finished, they faded away as suddenly as they had appeared._

_While it was awfully nice of them to show up just to let them know where they could find Sora, Kaze wasn't convinced. "How did he get from here all the way there?"_

"_You've been there before?"_

_He nodded slowly. "You think he's there?"_

_Riku gave a shrug before moving off. "Do you have any better ideas of where to check?"_

_Without any other suggestions, Kaze agreed to go with him. There wasn't any harm in checking, they'd just have to be careful. If Sora was there, it was going to be an odd place to meet him… The same place he'd first seen him and learned the truth…_

_At least it was fitting._

* * *

Kaze stared in horror at Sora's form on the ground before turning and leaving the cave. He didn't stop until he hit the beach where he sank to the ground and gazed out over the ocean. The sun had already completely disappeared, now replaced by the pale moon that reflected off the surface of the water. 

He watched each rippling wave intently, trying to calm the sick feeling inside of him. Whatever had happened to Sora, was because of him. He knew that, he'd figured it out long ago. Ever since Namine had told him… He wasn't meant to be there. He'd tried to ignore it, hoping in the end, it wouldn't matter, that he could keep on existing even though he wasn't supposed to, alongside Sora. But now he knew…

Sora needed him. He needed his other half to complete his task. The Door to the Light wasn't going to open for someone who was lacking part of their heart.

Kaze stirred at the sound of someone approaching, but he didn't look back at them. Kairi crouched next to him. "You left…"

"Is he alright?"

She settled down alongside him, looking out across the sea. "I don't know. I can't tell what's happened to him… It's like he's sleeping, but I can't get him to wake up." She regarded Kaze carefully before speaking again. "You know what's wrong with him, don't you?"

"It's my fault, Kairi." He shut his eyes, unable to look at her. "I'm just a part of Sora. I shouldn't be here."

"A part of him?"

He gave her a weary grin. "You remember when Sora used that Keyblade on himself back at Hollow Bastion? That's how I was born. …I'm not supposed to exist. That's why he's laying in there like that."

"That isn't your fault. You couldn't have known that was going to happen to him."

Kaze shook his head firmly. She was wrong, he _should_ have known. Picking himself up, he dusted the sand off and fixed his eyes on her. "It doesn't matter, I'm going to fix it." Not giving her a chance to respond, he started to walk away. He could hear her moving to stand up and follow.

"Where are you going?"

"I can't say. You'll tell Sora, then he'll come and try to stop me."

"Kaze…"

"I'm going to end this where it started. I'm going to open the last Door myself." Would that work? The last one would be In-Between, and he was certain that he already knew where that would be. If he could find it, would it be enough to put things right?

"Wait."

Coming to a brief halt, Kaze faced her, ready to tell her to go back and stay with Sora. It didn't matter what she had to say, his mind was already made up. He was surprised to see that she was holding her hand out, offering him the same good luck charm that Sora had brought back. "If you're a part of Sora, then I know you'll take care of it. When you've done whatever you have to, you can give it back."

"I can't take it." He smiled ruefully at her. "I'm not going to be coming back."

Kairi's hand dropped back to her side and her face fell. "But… what about Sora?"

"Sora will be fine without me." Kaze brought his own hand up to place it against his heart. "I'm going to give him back what he needs."

He started to leave, this time with no intention of stopping. As he moved away down the beach towards, the area they'd left the boats at, he spoke quietly to himself. "I know you'll take good care of him for me, Kairi."

* * *

The sensation that he was falling, plunging into darkness all around him, was a familiar one. Sora remembered this all too well, but this was somewhat different; it felt like time was passing painfully slowly. Still, he could relax, knowing where he was… 

He had no way of telling how much time had passed before an object came into view below, a brightly coloured platform that stood out against the pitch black that surrounded it. Sora's descent slowed as he came to settle on it.

The pattern that decorated its surface shattered his calm.

Backing away, he shook his head in alarm as he took in the picture under his feet. The shape of the Keyblade was easy to make out, and so was that of the person that was holding it.

It was _him_.

"_You are the one…"_

Why was he back here? Was it even the same place as before?

"_You are the one that will open the door…"_

If that was true, then what had happened when he'd gone to open it?

"_You are the one…"_

Sora's confusion was quick to turn to frustration. "I _tried_! I tried and it didn't work."

"…_that will open the door."_

The surface beneath him shattered without warning, sending him plummeting into the shadows below. The world around him shifted as he hit a solid floor. Pulling himself to his feet, he recoiled in shock, recognizing the area that he now found himself standing in.

Skyscrapers jutting to either side of him, pale glowing signs covered the buildings…

…There was only place where he could be.

One structure stood taller than the rest in front of him, steps lead up to the entrance, and a screen flickered at the top. Images flashed across it.

Images of him and of his other half.

Sora watched as pictures of him and Kaze wavered in and out of focus. He titled his head back to the sky, "I don't know what you want me to do!"

There was no reply, and with no further instructions, Sora decided to take a better look around. What was he supposed to do? He had to have been brought here for a reason.

He cautiously walked up to the front of the building. His hand reached out to touch the doors, and passed straight through it, as the world around him melted, fading away. Everything shifted to darkness and he found himself falling backwards, once more.

Reeling, he squeezed his eyes shut…

"_You are the one who will open the door to the light."_

…and opened them to find a very surprised Kairi looking down at him. "Sora!"

He jolted upright, blinking slowly as he glanced around him. Catching sight of the various scribbles that adorned the walls, he realized where he was.

"Are you alright? What happened?"

Sora carefully stood up, turning towards her to give a reassuring smile. "I'm fine." He avoided the other question; he didn't _know _what had happened. His eyes continued to wander around the cave, narrowing. "Where's Kaze?"

At the question, Kairi's expression grew more sorrowful. "He's gone, Sora."

"Gone? Gone where?"

"He wouldn't tell me." She followed him as Sora headed back outside. "He said if you knew, you'd try to stop him."

He turned to face her, bewildered. "I don't understand…"

"Kaze seemed to think what happened to you was his fault," She hesitated, reluctantly adding, "He said he wasn't supposed to exist, so he was going to fix it by opening the last Door on his own."

Sora reached a hand out to press against his chest. Now he understood why he couldn't do anything with this Door; he was missing half of himself, and Kaze knew that. His idea of 'fixing' it could only mean he was going to try and find a way to make Sora complete again, and if he was going to do that…

"Didn't he say anything that might give you a clue to where he was going?"

"I'm not sure…Maybe." Kairi paused, "I don't know what he meant, but..."

"What did he say?"

"He said something about ending it where it started."

Sora knew what he meant; for him, it had started here on his own home, and it should end there when he opened the Door, but for Kaze, it was different. "Twilight Town. The last Door is the one to In-Between, it'll be there." He frowned, as he tried to think. "Or maybe that other place… The Other Side." The one that he was just shown… Did he have to go back there?

He started down the beach, his decision made. He knew where he was supposed to go, he just had to find a way to get back there.

"Sora…"

Stopping, he looked back towards Kairi. "I'm sorry, I can't take you with me. I'll come right back, I promise I won't leave you waiting so long this time."

For a moment, she didn't answer, and then slowly she nodded. "You kept your last promise, so I expect you to keep this one."

Sora smiled and gave her a small wave before turning to leave. As he moved towards his boat ready to return to the main Island, he made another silent promise to himself.

He'd come back, and he'd bring Kaze with him.

* * *

He slowed, gradually coming to a halt as he felt the eyes of someone watching him from the shadows. He wasn't surprised, and it wasn't very hard to guess who it was. 

"You've been following us."

"You figured it out yourself? You're really going to go ahead and do it?"

Kaze closed his eyes tightly. "I don't have a choice." He paused, considering his options. "I need to go back. Can you find a way to get me there?"

"What makes you think I'd want to?"

"Can you get me there, or not?"

"…Possibly."

The answer was good enough for him. Kaze gave one last glance over his shoulder, in the direction that he'd come from. "Then, let's go."

_I'm sorry, Sora…_

He turned around to follow the sound of the fading footsteps ahead of him.

… _I'm sorry, that I didn't get a chance to say goodbye._

* * *

**Notes: **Sorry for the delay! I had all sorts of problems getting this ready, but it's here now. A slightly shorter chapter than some of the others, but you can probably tell; this is getting ready to move things into the final stretch. Although, there's still quite a bit to cover… 

Going to be alternating between updating this and TDK now, but the waits shouldn't be too long. I hope!

Hm, think that was all. Enjoy! ;)


End file.
